Gaston Gérard Chicken

"Gaston Gérard" Chicken is a traditional Burgundian dish named after a politician who served as a member of parliament and mayor of Dijon in the 1920s.

It was his first wife who—quite unwittingly—came up with the original recipe. The scene takes place during a dinner party for a comedian, a famous French food critic of the time.

While preparing chicken her own way, Madame accidentally spills a jar of paprika into the pot! Her reputation as a good cook is on the line. To try to make up for her blunder, she added white wine (from Burgundy, of course!), crème fraîche, and grated Comté cheese. Against all odds, the guest was delighted by the chicken and praised the cook, who hadn’t expected such praise. Later, he published the recipe and named it after his host.

As for me, I cook this Gaston Gérard chicken without paprika. However, I do honor the fine local ingredients that Madame had used to mask that spice! If you feel like giving it a try, you can sprinkle paprika on the chicken just as you add the mustard and crème fraîche… Let me know what you think!