The recipe was created in 1930 by the wife of the Mayor of Dijon, Gaston Gerard. She was cooking for an esteemed guest, Maurice Edmond Sailland, AKA Curnonsky, a celebrated writer of Gastronomy in France and dubbed The Prince of Gastronomy. Madame accidentally put too much paprika in a chicken dish she was cooking and to rectify it added crème fraiche and white wine and called it Poulet Gaston Gerard. Curnonsky loved it, and its now a Dijon classic.
Easy to make recipe for Poulet Gaston Gerard
For 4 hungry people or 6 not so much
6 chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 onion sliced
½ teaspoon paprika
40cl dry white wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
200g Crème Fraiche (or sour cream if creme fraiche is unavailable)
150g grated Comté or Gruyère cheese
Sprig of thyme (optional)
Method
Salt and pepper the chicken pieces.
Brown the chicken breasts in the olive oil.
Remove and reserve the chicken pieces.
In the same pan, sauté the onion and pour white wine, creme fraiche, mustard, thyme and paprika.
Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish and pour over the sauce.
Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 200 C (400 F).
Serve immediately with baguette – heaven!
