This dish presents a wonderful combination of flavors: sweet, salt, fat, and acid. It has a warmer flavor profile with the lovely brightness of apple. The onions sautéed in olive oil with the reduced brandy is a favorite. At first, when reducing, the broth will have a strong vinegar taste, but as it reduces with the apples, it’ll balance out and sweeten slightly.
Chicken Normandy
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Prep Time:
15m
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Cook Time:
40m
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Total Time:
55m
Ingredients
- 2 Apples, medium-sized (Fuji, Gravenstein, or other firm apple is perfect for this dish, do not use a red delicious or macintosh)
- 2 Chicken breasts
- Salt
- 1 tbsp. Flour
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 1 tsp. Thyme
- 1/4 c Brandy (Calvados or apple brandy if you have it)
- 1/2 Large Red Onion
- 1/2 c Cloudy apple cider
- 1 c Chicken stock
- 3 tbsp. Cream
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt, let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Core apples and slice into wedges, around 1/3\" thick at the peel end. Peels optional. Peel and slice onion lengthwise into wedges.
- In a large, oven-proof sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp butter. Sauté the apples over medium heat, turning occasionally, until they start turning brown. Around 5-7 minutes.
- Sprinkle the apples with a pinch of salt, then remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Dredge the chicken in flour. Add another tbsp butter to the sauté pan and cook the chicken on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Deglaze the pan with a 2 tbsp of brandy. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions until starting to soften, 3-5 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan again with another 2 tbsp of brandy. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan clean (well, as clean as you can). Reduce brandy by 1/2.
- Add the apple cider and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, add the thyme and a pinch of salt.
- Place the chicken on the onions and roast in the oven for 16 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°F.
- When the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven (careful, it\'s hot!). Remove the chicken and set aside to rest.
- Heat the pan to high heat and add the apples. Boil and reduce until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Salt to taste.
- To serve, spoon half the apple-onion mixture onto a plate, top with a piece of chicken and cover with sauce.
