Today we are going to be making one of my all-time favorite French dishes, Chicken Normandy. As the name suggests it is a dish that originated in the Normandy region of France which is located in the northern part of the country right along the English channel. The region has a reputation for producing a number of apple and dairy based products which due to low costs and ease of access are often incorporated into their cuisine. And in my opinion, there is no better dish to represent the bounty of Normandy’s land than Chicken Normandy.
So what exactly is Chicken Normandy?
Well, basically the dish consists of pieces of chicken, onion, and apples all of which are braised in a sauce composed of apple cider and heavy cream. At first glance, this combination of savory and sweet flavors might seem a little odd. But trust me, when all of these ingredients are combined together and given the time to meld they create a wonderfully tasty dish. So if you’re ready then let’s get into it!
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- What type of apple to use? Well, I recommend any type of baking apple such as Fuji, Gala, or Honeycrisp. Just make sure to not use re delicious or else they might become too mushy.
- Personally, I like to leave the skin on the apples, they just look more appetizing. However, if you want to remove the skin then, by all means, do it.
- The addition of mushrooms into this dish isn’t authentic, however, I really enjoy what they bring to the dish. Feel free to omit them if you wish.
- Today we are going to be using bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, however, chicken thighs work great too.
- If you can’t find calvados at your local liquor store then simply swap it out with some brandy.
- I like to serve this Chicken Normandy with a side of our baked asparagus and some crunchy bread to soak up all the sauce.
Chicken Normandy Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 Whole chicken breasts
2 Apples, cored and cut into thin wedges
1 Large onion, thinly sliced
2 Cups of unfiltered apple cider
1 Cup of mushrooms, thinly sliced
½ Cup of heavy cream, at room temperature
½ Cup of flour
¼ Cup of calvados
4 Tablespoons of butter
1 Teaspoon of dried thyme
Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Saute the apples: Get out a large ovenproof saute pan and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in it. Then toss in the apple wedges and saute them until they brown up, about 5 minutes.
Take the apple slices out and reserve for later.
- Brown up the chicken: Sprinkle some salt on the chicken and then dredge them in the ½ cup of flour. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the hot pan and place the chicken in the pan skin side down. Let them brown up for 4 minutes, and then turn each piece of chicken over so that they can brown up for 4 minutes on the other side.
After the chicken has browned up take them out of the pan and reserve for later.
- Saute the onion and mushrooms: Add the onion and mushrooms to the pan and sautee them for 3 minutes. Then toss in the thyme and continue sauteing everything for another 2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the calvados and then add in the apple cider stirring until it comes to a low boil.
- Place the chicken pieces back in the pan skin side up and then place it in the oven. Let everything bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Finish the dish: Take the pan out of the oven and remove the chicken pieces setting them aside. Place the pan over high heat and toss in the reserved apple wedges.
Stir everything together and let the sauce reduce by half. Once the sauce has reduced and thickened up, lower the heat to low and add in the heavy cream.
Stir this all together and add salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve the chicken on a plate with some of the onions, apples, and mushrooms. Pour some of the sauce over everything and enjoy immediately!
Chicken Normandy Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Whole chicken breasts
- 2 Apples cored and cut into thin wedges
- 1 Large onion thinly sliced
- 2 Cups of unfiltered apple cider
- 1 Cup of mushrooms thinly sliced
- ½ Cup of heavy cream at room temperature
- ½ Cup of flour
- ¼ Cup of calvados
- 4 Tablespoons of butter
- 1 Teaspoon of dried thyme
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Saute the apples: Get out a large ovenproof saute pan and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in it. Then toss in the apple wedges and saute them until they brown up, about 5 minutes. Take the apple slices out and reserve for later.
- Brown up the chicken: Sprinkle some salt on the chicken and then dredge them in the ½ cup of flour. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the hot pan and place the chicken in the pan skin side down. Let them brown up for 4 minutes, and then turn each piece of chicken over so that they can brown up for 4 minutes on the other side. After the chicken has browned up take them out of the pan and reserve for later.
- Saute the onion and mushrooms: Add the onion and mushrooms to the pan and sautee them for 3 minutes. Then toss in the thyme and continue sauteing everything for another 2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the calvados and then add in the apple cider stirring until it comes to a low boil.
- Place the chicken pieces back in the pan skin side up and then place it in the oven. Let everything bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Finish the dish: Take the pan out of the oven and remove the chicken pieces setting them aside. Place the pan over high heat and toss in the reserved apple wedges. Stir everything together and let the sauce reduce by half. Once the sauce has reduced and thickened up, lower the heat to low and add in the heavy cream. Stir this all together and add salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve the chicken on a plate with some of the onions, apples, and mushrooms. Pour some of the sauce over everything and enjoy immediately!
Inspiration from other blogs
From Simply Recipes
From Mon Petit Four
