Forget Steak — Chicken Deserves The Au Poivre Treatment (And It's Heavenly)

Steak au poivre is a flavorful French dish enjoyed since the 19th century. Poivre is the French word for pepper, and steak au poivre is fittingly crusted with freshly ground peppercorns and then covered with a creamy pan sauce. But this traditional preparation doesn't just work for steak: A new viral recipe shows that chicken au poivre is equally delicious.

Most steak au poivre recipes begin with crusting a tenderloin or similar cut of steak with peppercorns, but for chicken au poivre, the rich pepper flavor is accomplished by basting a whole chicken with heavy whipping cream, shallots, garlic, dry sherry, salt, and, of course, plenty of pepper. This gentle basting method keeps the chicken au poivre juicy, as does spatchcocking the chicken before you roast it.

When preparing chicken au poivre, you might be tempted to use your nearby pepper shaker. For an au poivre recipe, that would be a big mistake. For the most flavorful result, use fresh peppercorns (black and green peppercorns are the traditional choice for steak au poivre and work beautifully here as well). If you don't have a pepper grinder, there are many ways you can grind peppercorns by hand, such as using a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin.

Chicken au poivre has gained popularity on social media thanks in part to popular TikTok videos like the tutorial below. Viewers get a firsthand look at how juicy and succulent the chicken turns out when prepared au poivre. Warning: don't watch when you're hungry! 

While the TikTok creator used a whole spatchcocked chicken, chicken breasts and thighs also work. Social media commenters overwhelmingly agreed that chicken au poivre is unbeatable, with one Instagram user stating, "I made it a few weeks ago, and I used Sherry and tarragon, unbelievable," and another saying, "Made this for dinner tonight. It was excellent."

And don't be afraid to customize your au poivre recipe to suit your personal palate. If you don't have cooking sherry or prefer to cook without alcohol, you can substitute it with chicken broth and a bit of lemon juice. For a lighter sauce, you can substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream, or add a dash of Dijon mustard for extra tang. Serve your chicken au povire with roasted asparagus, fingerling potatoes, or a fresh green salad. 

@cheysingh

Poivre Let's make @Corre Larkin's Chicken Au Poivre #recipes #chickenaupoivre Ingredients 3 tbsp peppercorns, cracked 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp fresh rosemary 2 shallots, finely diced Salt, to taste 4 c heavy cream 2 tbsp brandy or cooking wine 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked Salt and Pepper to taste 2 tbsp olive oil

♬ original sound – CheySingh