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.
