Instant Pot French Chicken Legs with Mustard. Poulet a la Moutarde, pressure cooked French chicken legs in about an hour.
One of the first cookbooks I bought, way back when I got serious about cooking, was Julia’s The Way To Cook. That’s where I first saw the French technique of chicken with mustard, Poulet a la Moutarde (or Poulet a la Diable, if you want Julia’s more colorful recipe name.) Julia taught me a lot of things, but the most important is that food, even “stuffy” French food, should be fun.
And, the French know their way around a chicken. Rubbing it with mustard is a fantastic way to add a crispy crust to your bird. Dijon mustard is the traditional mustard to use - but of course - but to make it even more “a la Diable”, use a horseradish mustard.
Other than the mustard rub, this is a very similar recipe to my basic Pressure Cooker Chicken Legs. They use the same cooking technique and timings, but the mustard adds some extra flavor to this version.
How much does a chicken leg weigh?
Chicken legs weigh about 8 ounces per leg, so a 3 pound “family pack” of chicken legs is perfect for this recipe. If you wind up with an extra leg or so, that’s OK, everything will still work
Recipe: Instant Pot French Chicken Legs with Mustard (Poulet a la Moutarde)
Inspired by: Julia Child’s The Way To Cook.
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Instant Pot French Chicken Legs with Mustard
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 chicken legs 1x
Description
Instant Pot French Chicken Legs with Mustard. Poulet a la Moutarde, pressure cooked French chicken legs in about an hour.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken legs
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt (¼ teaspoon per leg)
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Season and mustard rub the chicken legs: Put the chicken legs in a big bowl. Sprinkle the chicken legs evenly with the salt, herbs de Provence, and fresh ground black pepper. Pour the dijon on top, and toss the legs until they are evenly coated with the mustard.
- Sear the chicken legs: Heat a tablespoon of oil in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker over Sauté mode adjusted to medium until shimmering. (Medium heat in a stovetop pressure cooker) Brown the skin side of the chicken legs in batches – each leg should lay flat in the pot. In my 6 quart Instant Pot, I can fit two legs in the pot at once. Cook each set of legs until the mustard crust is browned, about 3 minutes. (The mustard browns quickly - keep an eye on it.) Move the browned legs to a bowl, then repeat with the remaining legs.
- Pressure cook the chicken legs: Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker pot. and add the cooking rack. Set the chicken legs on the rack, trying to keep them in a loose pile (I stack them like Lincoln logs), and pour in any chicken juices in the bowl. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high for 30 minutes in an electric pressure cooker, 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes. Serve, passing the liquid in the pot on the side as a sauce. Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Want to make it even more “a la Diable?” Follow Julia’s original recipe and add a teaspoon of hot pepper sauce with the mustard.
Skip the searing? The browning step is not necessary, if you’re really in a hurry. But, do give it a try - the extra time you take adds a lot of flavor to the dish
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
Cooking Rack (this silicone bakeware sling with handles is my favorite)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: French
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Chicken Legs with Herb Rub
Instant Pot Fingerling Potatoes with Herbes de Provence
Instant Pot Quick Chicken Thighs
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Mike Vrobel
Thanks! It is, try it!
Leo P
Looks good and mustardy