1 tbsp. black peppercorns

  • crush using mortar and pestle (or in a plastic bag)

2 tbsp. olive oil
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt

  • heat oil in a heavy skillet or dutch oven
  • season thighs and brown thighs in batches and remove to a plate

2 tbsp. butter
1 shallot, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
3 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. parsley

  • heat butter in the skillet and saute shallot for 1 minute, until softened
  • add broth, cream, thyme, and cracked peppercorns and scrape up any browned bit on the bottom of the pan
  • add chicken and juices and bring to a simmer, turning and basting until cooked to 165°F, about 8 minutes, then remove to a serving dish
  • add lemon juice to the sauce
  • in a small bowl, whisk flour with a small amount of sauce to make a paste, then add more sauce to thin, and pour back into sauce to thicken
  • adjust salt and stir in parsley
  • spoon sauce over chicken and serve with noodles or crusty bread

source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025895-chicken-au-poivre

09/29/2024: made this tonight and it was great. two changes i made or will next time:

  • the sauce was very soupy and did not thicken when adding lemon juice or simmering for 10+ minutes, so i made a flour paste to thicken it
  • crushing the peppercorns was a pain (and not entirely succesful because a few got through), so i will just grind out 1 tbsp. of pepper next time