So look, this started because I had chicken thighs and nothing resembling a plan. I’d been scrolling past “steak au poivre” recipes for years — they always looked delicious, but also kinda like something a person in a silk robe would make. Not me. I’m more of a messy bun and butter-splattered tea towel type.
Anyway, I didn’t have steak, but I did have chicken. And peppercorns. And cream. And let me tell you — this ended up being one of those “oops, I made something amazing” nights.
Here’s What You Need
(Or, what I had lying around when this magic happened)
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Chicken thighs. Boneless, skinless, around 2 pounds. I think I used 7?
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A handful of whole black peppercorns. Not ground. You’ll be smashing them later. Very therapeutic.
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Olive oil. A couple tablespoons.
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Butter. A little bit more than you think is probably fine. I used 2 tablespoons.
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Shallot. Just one. Or use a bit of red onion if that’s what’s in the drawer.
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Chicken broth. I poured a cup straight from one of those boxes.
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Heavy cream. ¾ cup. Use the real stuff. No regrets here.
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A few sprigs of thyme (or shake in some dried stuff and call it a day).
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Juice from half a lemon. Optional but honestly so good.
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Salt. Kosher, if you’ve got it.
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Parsley. I chopped some because it was in the fridge. Totally optional.
How It Came Together
(Warning: Not a chef. Just winging it, like always.)
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Smashed some peppercorns.
Threw them in a zip-top bag and whacked them with a heavy jar. You don’t want dust — just broken pieces. You’ll know when it feels right. -
Seared the chicken.
Heated olive oil in a big skillet, salted the chicken, then browned them on both sides. Don’t overcrowd the pan — I did two batches because they were getting grumpy and steaming instead of browning. -
Set the chicken aside.
Just on a plate. They weren’t done yet, just getting some color. -
Started the sauce.
Melted butter in the same skillet, tossed in minced shallot, stirred for a minute. Then added broth, cream, thyme, and all those cracked pepper bits. Scraped up the stuck-on bits (aka flavor). -
Put the chicken back in.
Nestled it all down in the sauce, turned the heat to a low simmer, and let it bubble for 7ish minutes. I spooned the sauce over the top now and then, mostly because it smelled so good I had to do something. -
Finished the sauce.
Once the chicken was done (165°F if you’re a thermometer person), I pulled it out, tossed the thyme, and stirred in lemon juice. Let it cook a minute more. Threw in parsley at the very end.
What I Served It With
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Leftover mashed potatoes that were somehow better the second time around
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A green salad I almost forgot about
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Bread from the freezer I reheated and pretended was fresh
No one asked for dessert. We were full and happy.
