Today we visit Normandy for a hearty delicious chicken dish that spells comfort food with a capital C!
A friend sent me a Bon Apetit post from a couple of years ago and as soon as i was done looking at the ingredients, i was sure that i was going to put my own little twist on it while keeping it as authentic as possible. It is basically a sumptuous Chicken, Apples and Mushroom Cream Sauce.
I made it for Sunday Lunch yesterday and it was a hit! Here's what you'll need;
1 Tablespoon Butter
3 Tablespoons Duck Fat (or you can use 4 Tablespoons of butter)
3 Firm Apples - Cored & Quartered
3 Lbs Chicken
1 Leek Chopped (White & Light Green part only)
1 Purple Onion
1/4 Cup Apple Brandy
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Fresh Thyme
3 Bay Leaves
2 Cups Home made Chicken Stock
1 Cup Crimini, Oyster and Shitake Mushrooms
1 Large Egg Yolk
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Heat the butter in a pan and gently pan fry the apples for about 5 minutes or until browned and fragrant.
Remove and set aside...
Add 2 tablespoons of duck fat (or butter) to the same pan and gently brown the chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side. Do not overcrowd the pan, brown in batches.
I pre-seasoned my chicken with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, ginger, 1 seasoning cube and pinch of curry powder and refrigerated it over night.
Set delicious, browned chicken aside. I know it smells amazing, but no, you cannot sneak a bite, that bird is still raw on the inside!
Moving on... Leeks...
Leeks go into the pan the chicken came out of, with sliced onion. Cook until soft and fragrant on medium heat for 5 minutes...
Turn the heat off, pour in brandy and with a long match stick or long lighter, CAREFULLY, light the pan on fire. Flambe until all the alcohol hascooked off then return to the heat.
At this point i transferred everything to a larger pot...
Reintroduce chicken to veggies, add thyme, bay leaves, apple cider vinegar and chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes.
Add apples and cook for another 10.
In another pan, add your last tablespoon of duck fat (or butter) and lightly stir fry the mushrooms until tender, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and take the chicken and apples out of the pot (add them to the mushrooms and save yourself from washing an additional dish).
Whisk sour cream and egg yolk in a bowl...
Fold the sour cream and egg yolk mix to the liquid left int he pot after removing the chicken and apples. Mix properly and then reintroduce everything to the pot.
We had ours with potatoes for lunch and then with white rice for dinner, Lol... It was a hit both times!
Enjoy!
