Whole Grain Mustard and Tarragon Chicken

It's time for an installment of what I am naming “Casual Gourmet” cuisine here at Shel's Kitchen: so easy you can make on a weeknight schedule, but fancy enough for weekend company. One of my favorite things to make in the crock pot is bone-in, skin-off chicken thighs. I buy the economical family pack of thighs, remove the skin myself then cook them in the crock pot with a sweet and tangy sauce. The chicken thighs practically fall apart as you spoon them onto the serving platter, making eating them a snap; just shred the meat right off the bone! In this case, the sauce consists of two kinds of mustard, honey, and tarragon, a lesser used herb. Mustard is something I have A LOT of in my fridge. In fact, we always tend to have 6-8 different varieties on hand. It lends so much flavor in a snap, and is the perfect tangy addition to anything from tuna salad to barbecue sauce, salad dressing to roasted potatoes to glazes..well, you get my drift. Everything is better with mustard! Okay, maybe not brownies (hmm…) but you get my point. To offset the tang of the mustard this recipe calls for a little bit of honey, but agave, maple syrup or even a little brown sugar would work too. The tarragon has a little bit of a licorice-y bitterness that works great here too. I am not a fan of licorice but I love tarragon. Give it a try, I know you'll like it. The very best part about this recipe is, it's only FIVE ingredients (not including salt & pepper) so you're hardly spending any time in the kitchen at all. Trust me: grab what you need for this easy-peasy entree along with some veggies and rice on the side, run through the express lane and cook this up. It's easy, it's fast to prep, and now you can go “casual gourmet” anytime.
 
Whole Grain Mustard and Tarragon Chicken (adapted from foodiecrush.com)


8 bone-in, skin-off chicken thighs
Salt and Pepper
2 T. whole grain mustard
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. honey (can use more if you like more sweetness)
1 T. dried tarragon

Place the chicken thighs in a 6 qt. crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together the mustards, honey and tarragon until smooth. Pour over the chicken, cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-4 hours.

8 servings (137 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com