← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• salt and black pepper
• 40 g Butter
• 2 firm eating apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
• 3 Shallot, finely chopped
• 200 g button mushrooms, quartered (optional)
• 60 ml Calvados (apple brandy)
• 250 ml dry Normandy cider
• 180 ml chicken stock
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 150 ml Crème fraîche
• 1 tbsp Parsley, chopped

Method

1. Pat the chicken dry and season it well. Melt half the butter in a wide casserole over medium heat and fry the apple wedges for 4–5 min until golden on both sides; set aside.
2. Add the rest of the butter and brown the chicken, skin-side down first, for about 10 min in total until deep golden. Lift it out and pour off all but a spoonful of fat.
3. Soften the shallots (and mushrooms, if using) in the pan for 5 min. Return the chicken, pour in the Calvados and carefully set it alight with a long match, standing back; let the flames die down.
4. Add the cider and let it bubble for 3 min, then pour in the stock and add the thyme. Cover and simmer gently for 25 min, until the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F) by the bone.
5. Lift the chicken onto a warm dish. Boil the juices for 5 min to reduce by about a third, then whisk in the crème fraîche and simmer until it coats a spoon. Season.
6. Pour the sauce over the chicken, top with the warm apples and parsley, and serve with rice or boiled potatoes.

Tips

• If you would rather not flame, simply simmer the Calvados for 1 minute before adding the cider.
• Avoid sweet cider or apple juice here; the sauce becomes sugary.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

SBS Food Milk Street Complete France