About
Chicken à la Normande actually tells you exactly what it contains, once you know what it means. "À la Normande" means "in the style of Normandy," and that typically means a luscious cream sauce filled with hearty mushrooms, crisp apples, and the sharp sweetness of brandy. As you might expect, Chicken à la Normande serves up all of that incredible sauce alongside succulent chicken thighs roasted and braised to a gorgeous golden-brown. The tender fruits and vegetables enhance the flavor of the poultry so much you'll always say "oui, oui" to more!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs or legs, skin-on and bone-in
- salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 strips bacon, chopped
- 4 shallots, diced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 4-5 thyme sprigs, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons brandy or whiskey
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups hard dry apple cider
- 2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 -Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and salt it all over.
Step 3 -In a large, rounded oven-safe skillet, brown the chicken in 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until golden, about 4-5 minutes per side.
Step 4 -Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Step 5 -Reserve 2 tablespoons of the rendered chicken fat, discarding the rest.
Step 6 -Fry the bacon in the skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered.
Step 7 -Discard most of the bacon fat and transfer the cooked bacon to the plate with the chicken, reserving about 1-2 tablespoons in the dish.
Step 8 -Top the skillet with the remaining bacon fat and add the shallots, the celery, and 2 sprigs of the thyme and cook over low heat until soft but not colored, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 9 -Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Step 10 -Add the brandy to the skillet and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, and cook until the alcohol burns off, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 11 -Add the flour and stir until it forms a paste.
Step 12 -Slowly add the chicken stock to the skillet, constantly stirring until the mixture resembles a thick gravy, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 13 -Pour the apple cider into the skillet, stirring to combine.
Step 14 -Return the chicken and the bacon to the skillet with the remaining thyme sprigs.
Step 15 -Bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 16 -Cover the skillet and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 17 -Uncover the skillet and cook until the chicken is cooked through at 165 degrees F, is tender, and the sauce has thickened considerably, about 30 minutes.
Step 18 -In a medium saucepan, heat the reserved chicken fat.
Step 19 -Add the apple wedges to the hot chicken fat and fry until golden, about 3-4 minutes. Be careful, as they can burn quickly.
Step 20 -Transfer the skillet from the oven and stir in the heavy cream.
Step 21 -Return the skillet to the oven and cook uncovered until the flavors have melded together, about 20 minutes.
Step 22 -Stir in the cooked apple wedges.
Step 23 -Taste the dish for seasoning.
Step 24 -Serve.
