Poulet Gaston Gérard
Photo: Joelk75 · CC BY 2.0

History

The recipe is credited to Reine-Geneviève Bourgogne, first wife of Gaston Gérard, mayor of Dijon, who cooked it in August 1930 at their home on Rue du Petit-Potet for the food writer Curnonsky. The story goes that she spilled paprika into the pot and rescued it with white wine and grated Comté; Curnonsky approved and named the dish after his host. Gérard was also the mayor who founded the Foire gastronomique in 1921. The chicken, mustard, cream and Comté version is now a classic of Dijon cooking.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Milk, Mustard, Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 25 minTotal 1 hr 10 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 free-range chicken cut into 8 pieces, or 8 thighs
  • 30g butter
  • 200ml dry white Burgundy
  • 200ml crème fraîche
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 150g Comté, grated
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Season the chicken and brown it on all sides in the butter in an ovenproof dish or casserole, about ten minutes. Sprinkle over the paprika.
  2. Pour in the white wine, scrape up the browned bits, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes.
  3. Lift the chicken into a gratin dish. Stir the cream, mustard and two-thirds of the Comté into the pan juices and simmer two minutes until smooth.
  4. Pour the sauce over the chicken, top with the rest of the Comté and the breadcrumbs.
  5. Bake at 200C for 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden on top.

Tip from the editors. Add the mustard off the boil: long boiling makes Dijon mustard bitter and splits the sauce.

Where to eat poulet gaston gérard

Poulet Gaston Gérard in Dijon

La Brasserie des Loges ★ 3.9

€€ BrasserieCentre Historique

La Brasserie des Loges seats guests beside the Musée des Beaux-Arts on Place du Théâtre in Dijon, serving Burgundian brasserie classics daily.

OrderThe Menu Bourguignon, a set three-course run through the region's classics.

TipIt stays open every day of the year bar three, useful for a Sunday or holiday table when smaller kitchens shut.

Directions

All Dijon signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want poulet gaston gérard covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →