roast chicken with dijon sauce.

Is it weird that I don't have a Seamless account for ordering food? I realize I'm not the norm - I cook, a lot more then most urban dwelling 30 year old's but, in this day in age, is it strange to not want to have food delivered to you?  Is food delivery a right of passage that I am missing out on?  It's not that I am against delivery service per-se but, I've always seen it as an unnecessary luxury that I am too cheap to give into. Why order out when I can cook dinner and get it on the table faster (and cheaper!) then any restaurant (well maybe not the Chinese restaurants but most everything else).  

This is where the work horses of our weekly dinners come into play.  The dishes I can make in my sleep and return to at least once a month.  They are reliable, easy, and most importantly really freaking delicious and isn't that the point of eating?  

To most, roast chicken doesn't sound very exciting, in fact some may call it down-right boring (how rude) but when paired with a mustardy wine and cream sauce it becomes something else entirely.  It's dreamy and special.  The sauce turns it into a meal that you could picture yourself eating in a French brasserie (with a hunk of baguette, a leafy green salad, and a glass of cold white wine).  It's an easy dish to love - quick and simple with a short ingredient list (most of them being pantry staples!).  It's time you add this to your rotation.  

Roast Chicken with Dijon Sauce
Recipe adapted slightly from Gourmet

Want to turn this into a meal?  Serve it with some bread, a wedge of good cheese, and a simple green salad that you assemble while the chicken roasts.  DONE!  Also this reheats brilliantly.

3 pounds chicken parts (thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts), with skin and bones
1 1/4 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper plus more to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (but let's be honest, homemade is best)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Lemon juice to taste

Preheat oven to 450F with rack in middle.

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet (cast iron is best for this!) over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in 2 batches, brown chicken, skin side down first and turning once, about 5 minutes per batch.  Don't move the chicken until the skin releases and it is evenly brown.  

Return all chicken, skin side up, to skillet and roast in oven until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter, then add shallots, wine, and broth to pan juices in skillet and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and boil until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. To thicken the sauce further, turn the heat to high and boil it until it reduces to a consistency you prefer.

Whisk in mustard, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add a squeeze of lemon juice (I think it adds some nice brightness).  Serve chicken with sauce.