Dijon Chicken Thighs
Dijon Chicken Thighs
This WLS friendly recipe can be made in the Instant Pot or on your stove top!
Note: some programs approve chicken thighs in the soft phase of the diet while others have you wait. Refer to your programs information on when your team has approved this meal.
Dark meat chicken, as most all of us know, as a much higher fat content than white meat.
For this reason, I really try not to use them very often in my cooking. But it’s so tasty I do feel the need to indulge on occasion!
One note I always have to mention when I post a recipe with chicken thighs: if you are a post-op patient and feel you can only eat chicken thighs and not chicken breast…I encourage you to look at your bite sizes and your speed of eating. 99% of the time when my patients are only eating dark meat it’s because of their eating behaviors. Keep you bite sizes about the size of your pinkie finger nail (unless your nails are fake…) and take 20 minutes to eat your meal. Dark meat should really be kept to an occasional treat for best weight-loss results.
That being said, this recipe was so good! I chopped my Dijon Chicken Thighs and toss them with a salad of arugula, red onion, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.
Dijon Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
- 4 4 ounce skinless boneless chicken thighs trimmed of fat
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 tsp dijon mustard plus extra for serving
- 1 clove fresh garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 cup chicken broth if using pressure cooker
Side Salad
- 5 oz baby arugula
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
Instructions
Stove Top
- Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper. Combine chicken with lemon juice, garlic and dijon mustard. Toss to coat and set aside for about 5 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick grill pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and grill about 5 minutes per side or until done.
- If making salad - place chicken on a cutting board and cut into smaller pieces. Toss with arugula, tomatoes, red onion and vinegar. Serve.
Pressure Cooker
- Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper. Combine chicken with lemon juice, garlic and dijon mustard. Toss to coat and set aside for about 5 minutes.
- Put cooker on saute mode (if available) and spray with cooking spray or olive oil. When ready, add chicken thighs and saute for 3 minutes per side. This step may need to be done in two batches to not overcrowd the cooker. Remove chicken. Add 1 chicken broth and scrape the bits from the bottom of the cooker.
- Add chicken back to cooker, close the lid and the venting valve. Select 'poultry' mode for 5 minutes.
- When the cooker beeps to indicate 10 minutes is completed, leave the vessel and allow the cooker to natural release steam for approximately 6-8 minutes. Then move the steam valve open, staying clear of the valve. When the handle easily lifts, it is safe to open. Even so, hold face back and remove lid slowly.
- Test the temperature of the chicken to ensure it has been cooked to 165F. If making salad - place chicken on a cutting board and cut into smaller pieces. Toss with arugula, tomatoes, red onion and vinegar. Serve.
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