Creamy Boursin Chicken Thighs—too good to be this easy

Boursin, a flavorful French soft cheese, is the basis for a luscious, weeknight-quick sauce for pan-cooked chicken. Recipe below.

OLD SCHOOL LUXURIOUS AND WEEKNIGHT EASY pair beautifully in this dish. Made mostly with a handful of pantry and fridge staples, its lush, creamy texture and flavor come from Boursin cheese.

Boursin is a creamy, soft, crumbly cheese created in Normandy, France, in the late 1950s by François Boursin. It is based on fromage frais (fresh cheese), a popular regional cheese that was often mixed with herbs to create a party dish to spread on crackers or bread. In fact, Boursin’s original advertising tagline was “Du pain, du vin, du Boursin” (“Some bread, some wine, some Boursin”).

Boursin has created a number of flavors, but their first is still the favorite: Garlic & Fine Herbs. That’s what we used here. The soft cheese melts into chicken broth, quickly creating a creamy sauce with nuanced flavors, altogether old school luxurious.

A quick note—many recipes use boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced thin. While this speeds up the cooking time, we much prefer the meaty richness of chicken thighs.

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Creamy Boursin Chicken Thighs

Boursin, a flavorful French soft cheese, is the basis for a luscious, weeknight quick sauce for pan-cooked chicken.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1/2 pound each
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (preferably Diamond Kosher)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt!)
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (not smoked)
• generous grind of black pepper
• olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 1 5.2- ounce package Garlic and Fine Herbs Boursin Cheese, brought to room temperature (see Kitchen Notes)
• 2 tablespoons or so of finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

• Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and place in a plastic bag. Mix flour, salt, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the chicken in the bag and give it a good shake to coat chicken with seasonings.
• Heat a large, deep-sided, lidded skillet (we used a sauté pan) over medium-high heat, adding enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Let it get good and hot, then add the chicken thighs skin side down. Cook undisturbed until nicely browned, about 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the thighs, reduce heat to medium, and cook undisturbed another 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer thighs to a plate.
• Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until it begins to soften, 2 or 3 minutes. Be careful to not let the onion brown, reducing the heat as needed. Add 3/4 cup broth to the pan, stirring and scraping up any browned bits.
• Add the room-temperature Boursin to the pan and gently mash it down with a wooden spoon, stirring it into the broth. When it’s completely combined and bubbling, stir in some of the chopped parsley. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, skin side up, cover with the lid.
• Let simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20 minutes or so, stirring the sauce occasionally. If sauce is remaining on the thin side, partially uncover the pan. Chicken is done when an instant read thermometer registers at least 165ºF. If the sauce is getting too thick, add a little more broth—our sauce was actually a little thin and we had to cook it down, pan uncovered, for a few minutes.
• Plate chicken, spoon over some sauce and top with more chopped parsley, if desired. Serve.

Kitchen Notes

Choose your cheese. Boursin does make a number of flavors. While we like the Garlic & Fine Herbs, you might also like their Shallot & Chive. Or whatever your market has in stock.