In cooking, the term ”deviled” has several meanings, but it most often implies a preparation with a sharp flavor, most often derived from mustard, vinegar, cayenne or other chiles. In this dish, you don’t need vinegar, because there is plenty of acidity in Dijon mustard.
You can make this dish with chicken breasts if you prefer; I recommend bone-in breasts, which follow the same procedure. For boneless, skinless breasts forget crispness, of course, smear the meat all over with the mustard mixture, then broil it for just about six minutes, turning two or three times to prevent burning.
Ingredients;
- 8 chicken thighs, or a mixture of thighs and drumsticks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup mustard
- ⅓ cup minced shallots, onion or scallion
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce, or to taste
- Minced parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions;
- Heat the broiler to its maximum, and set the rack about 4 inches from the heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and place it in a pan, skin side up. Broil, watching carefully, until the skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the mustard, shallots, and cayenne.
- When the chicken has browned, remove it from oven, and turn it. Spread just a teaspoon or so of the mustard mixture on the underside of the chicken, and broil about 5 minutes.
- Turn the chicken, and spread the remaining mixture on the upper, or skin side. Broil until mustard begins to brown.
- At this point, the chicken may be done. If it is not done, turn off the broiler and leave the chicken in the oven 5 more minutes or so. Garnish and serve.
