One Pan Creamy Boursin Chicken
I feel like this is what I would make if I really wanted to impress someone but I didn’t have time or energy to put in a ton of effort.
The pearl couscous base is SO CREAMY you just want to eat it straight out of the pan before getting it plated. The chicken is SO CRISPY and you barely have any dishes to clean at the end because it’s a ONE PAN WONDER.
There’s something really elegant about the dish and the flavours all work so well together. I hope this makes your one pan rotation for dinner sometime soon!
How to Make One Pan Creamy Boursin Chicken:
Step One:
Take the chicken thighs out of the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes prior to cooking. This will ensure more even cooking. Pat dry so that the skin will get extra crispy and season generously with salt on both sides.
Step Two:
Heat up a skillet over medium heat, then add olive oil and butter and let melt. Sear the chicken thighs skin-side down for about 8-10 minutes to get golden brown. Try not to move around! Once crispy and golden, flip the chicken and sear for another 15-20 minutes on the other side (or until they’ve reached 165 degrees internally). Remove and set to the side.
Step Three:
The fat from the chicken skin will have rendered nicely so you should not need more olive oil or butter at this point (unless you’re using skinless chicken thighs). In the same pan, reduce the heat slightly and add minced shallot. Stir for a minute or two until fragrant.
Step Four:
Add the pearl couscous directly to the pan and stir to combine. Let this toast for a minute and get nice and nutty. Deglaze with white wine and stir until fully absorbed. Then add the chicken stock and stir.
Step Five:
Bring the heat back to medium so that it comes up to a bubble, and then reduce the heat to low-medium, add the chicken thighs back into the pearl couscous/broth mix.
Step Six:
Once the pearl couscous has absorbed all the liquid and it’s tender, remove the chicken thighs and add in the boursin cheese and chopped kale to the pearl couscous. Stir to combine – it should be nice and creamy.
Step Seven:
Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking, then serve up! Option to garnish with some fresh chives or Italian parsley at the end.
How to Store One Pan Creamy Boursin Chicken:
Leftovers (if you’re lucky enough to have any) can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of chicken stock to revive that creaminess of the couscous.
Substitutions for One Pan Creamy Boursin Chicken:
- Chicken Thighs: If you don’t want to use skin on, bone-in chicken thighs, feel free to use boneless skinless or chicken breast. You’ll miss that really crispy exterior from the skin, however. Adjust cooking time accordingly (both of these options will take less time to cook, just keep an eye on the internal temp and make sure you reach 165 degrees).
- Boursin: If you don’t have any Boursin cheese on hand, any soft garlic and herb cheese will do. You could also use a dollop of creme fraiche with some garlic powder and fresh herbs!
- Greens: Could totally sub spinach for kale (will take less time to wilt down)
One Pan Creamy Boursin Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-4 chicken thighs I prefer skin on bone in
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 shallot minced
- 8 oz pearl couscous (or 227 g)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ boursin cheese garlic & herb
- Big handful kale chopped (removing the stems)
Instructions
- Take the chicken thighs out of the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes prior to cooking. This will ensure more even cooking. Pat dry so that the skin will get extra crispy and season generously with salt on both sides.
- Heat up a skillet over medium heat, then add olive oil and butter and let melt. Sear the chicken thighs skin-side down for about 8-10 minutes to get golden brown. Try not to move around! Once crispy and golden, flip the chicken and sear for another 15-20 minutes on the other side, or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Remove and set to the side.
- The fat from the chicken skin will have rendered nicely so you should not need more olive oil or butter at this point (unless you’re using skinless chicken thighs). In the same pan, reduce the heat slightly and add minced shallot. Stir for a minute or two until fragrant.
- Add the pearl couscous directly to the pan and stir to combine. Let this toast for a minute and get nice and nutty. Deglaze with white wine and stir until fully absorbed. Then add the chicken stock and stir.
- Bring the heat back to medium so that it comes up to a bubble, and then reduce the heat to low-medium, add the chicken thighs back into the pearl couscous/broth mix.
- Once the pearl couscous has absorbed all the liquid, remove the chicken thighs and add in the boursin cheese and chopped kale to the pearl couscous. Stir to combine - it should be nice and creamy.
- Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking, then serve up! Option to garnish with some fresh chives or italian parsley at the end.
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How much couscous????????
8oz or 1 cup it’s in the list of ingredients
Really, really good! Going on regular rotation for us. Couscous took longer to absorb the liquid than I thought, but everything turned out great. Next time I’ll finish with a little fresh lemon on the couscous!
Lemon sounds perfect on top!
Extremely good and gotta love a one pan dinner!
Right there with you 🙂
Delicious! Will be making again.
So happy you liked it 🙂
Super flavorful and easy to make. My husband, toddler, and myself all loved this! I have now made it two weeks in a row.
Oh you have no idea how happy this makes me! As a toddler mom myself I know it can be tricky to find something to cook for everyone in the family that they’ll enjoy so I really, really appreciate this.
Stumbled across this recipe on IG and decided to give it a try. Wife said it was horrible and I should never make it again. I feel there was a twinge of sarcasm to her comment. Wil definitely subject her to it again. 😂
Yeah we better remove this from the dinner rotation 😉
I made this and it was such a hit! It felt like the perfect amount of effort to put into a Sunday night dinner. It was elevated and delicious but also doable with an easy clean-up. It was a unique meal that pleased everyone and I will absolutely make again. Can’t recommend this enough!
That’s the goal!! So glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you reaching out to let me know 🙂 🙂
Is there a substitute for the white wine? (I’m underage & can’t purchase it.) Normally I’d use something like chicken stock but I don’t want to overload it since it’s already an ingredient!
Yes you can definitely just replace with stock!
Excellent! I used the dairy free Boursin. Flavor of the dish was great.
I gotta tell you, I never comment on recipes… but my family LOVED this one so much that I just wanted to tell you! It’s a winner! thanks for sharing 🙂
thank you, thank you! I really appreciate it and SO glad it was a hit with the family.
Fantastic recipe, making for a 2nd time! I double the cous cous because I love it so much 🙂 thank you!!!
Amazing! 🙂
[…] One Pan Creamy Boursin Chicken […]
Phenomenal. The best, juiciest chicken I have ever made. If you cannot find Pearl Couscous, Pearl Barley is a great substitute. It just takes a little longer to cook. I peppered one side of thighs & because my toddler is vegetarian, I cooked the Pearl Barley dish with vegetable stock instead of chicken. Would absolutely recommend your recipe to anyone looking for an easy, delicious, relatively cheap comfort meal. Thank you so much for sharing and I look forward to trying your other recipes!
I’ve made this over 20 times in the past 6 months, (Costco sell Boursin in 3 packs) it’s so easy, it’s fire, it’s good with panko chicken on the side, it’s good with duck, it’s good if you forgot you didn’t buy kale but had mushrooms, it’s good if you forgot wine and used chicken stock it’s such a forgivable recipe. I even made it camping once it’s that easy. And it’s so freaking delicious.
I substitute fresh spinach for the kale. I definitely don’t cook the chicken thighs for 15 – 20 minutes after browning the skin, more like 10 to 12 minutes. Otherwise this recipe is delicious. My husband loves when I make this recipe for dinner. Also, i only use 6 oz. of couscous and 3/4 of a package of the Boursin cheese.