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Chicken Normandy

Chicken Normandy

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

  • Prep Time: 15m
  • Cook Time: 40m
  • 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

  1. Season the chicken with salt, let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  2. Core apples and slice into wedges, around 1/3\" thick at the peel end. Peels optional. Peel and slice onion lengthwise into wedges.
  3. 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.
  4. Sprinkle the apples with a pinch of salt, then remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel.
  5. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Add the apple cider and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, add the thyme and a pinch of salt.
  10. Place the chicken on the onions and roast in the oven for 16 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°F.
  11. When the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven (careful, it\'s hot!). Remove the chicken and set aside to rest.
  12. 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.
  13. To serve, spoon half the apple-onion mixture onto a plate, top with a piece of chicken and cover with sauce.