Chicken roasted and braised in cider and brandy, cooked with apple slices and onions, served with a creamy sauce.
Normandy in France, lying north of Paris and lining the English Channel, is known for cream, butter, cheese, apples and cider.
In this version of Chicken Normandy, or “Chicken à la Normande,” we simmer whole chicken drumsticks in apple cider and brandy and serve them with a sauce of cooked apples, onions and cream.
We use whole chicken drumsticks because the flavor is richer and the dark meat holds up better over longer stews. You could just as easily use chicken breast.
You can also serve this classic combination of apples, brandy and cream with other proteins like mussels (Moules à la Normande) or pork.
Chicken Normandy
In this recipe, we’ll brown the chicken on the stovetop, then braise it in the oven, then finish it on the stovetop.
If you wish, you can cook the whole dish on the stove. In Step 6, simply simmer the chicken on the stove (uncovered if skinned, covered if using skinless chicken pieces) until cooked through and tender, 15-30 minutes. The reason for making it in the oven is to create a crispy skin.
ingredients
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4 tablespoon butter
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2 Cook apples (Fuji or Jonagold are perfect for this dish, DO NOT use red treats), seeded and cut into wedges (you may or may not peel)
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Flour, for digging
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4 all chicken legs with thighs
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Salt
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1 big Onionpeeled, sliced lengthwise (root up).
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1/2 Cup (120ml) brandy (apple brandy or calvados if you have it)
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2 cups (475 ml) cider (unfiltered)
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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1/2 Cup cream
method
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Sprinkle chicken with salt:
Sprinkle salt over the chicken pieces and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes while you prep the other ingredients and sauté the apples in the next step.
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Sauté apple slices:
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple slices and sauté until they start to brown around the edges, turning occasionally.
Sprinkle the apple slices with a little salt. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
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Toss chicken in flour, fry in pan:
Dredge the chicken in flour and place the pieces skin-side down in the skillet. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp butter.
Fry on each side over medium to medium heat until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
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Sauté onion slices:
Add the onions and increase the heat to medium-high. Spread the onion slices in an even layer to cover the pan. As the onions cook, they will release moisture that will help deglaze the pan from the browned pieces of chicken.
Sauté the onions until just browned, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Deglaze pan with brandy:
Pour the brandy into the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any remaining browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
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Add cider:
Let the brandy simmer until reduced by about half. Add the cider and bring to a boil. Sprinkle thyme. Add just a pinch of salt to the cider.
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Put chicken on onions and roast in the oven:
Place the chicken thighs in the pan, skin-side up and not covered by the apple cider and brandy mixture. Place in the oven and cook uncovered at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes.
What is the temperature of cooked chicken?CONTINUE READING:
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Remove chicken, add apples, reduce sauce:
Take the pan out of the oven. (Watch out for the hot handle! I like to run an ice cube over the handle as soon as I remove the pan to quickly lower the temperature of the handle and prevent a bad burn if I forget the handle is hot.) Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set aside.
Place the pan back on a stovetop over high heat. Add the apples and reduce the sauce by half.
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Add cream, salt, pepper:
When the sauce has reduced to a little syrupy, add the heavy cream and turn the heat down. Taste for salt and add some if necessary.
To serve, place some apples and onions on the plate, garnish with sauce and a piece of chicken.
Links:
Chicken à la Normande from The New York Times
Normandy Guinea Fowl by Not Quite Nigella
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 513 | calories |
| 29g | Fat |
| 35g | carbohydrates |
| 18g | protein |
