Braising Part 2
Cider Chicken
Poulet au Cidre
Poulet Vallée D'Auge

Cider Chicken is a dish native to provincial cooking in Normandy and Brittany.  Those two regions located along the Atlantic in northwest France are famous for their apples and apple brandy, known as Calvados.  Calvados is aged like cognac, expensive bottles going back decades.  Cooking with apples, cider, and Calvados is an age old practice in the regions.  Poulet au Cidre is easy to make and delicious, one of our son's favorites.  It is a welcome savory dish for a cold, blustery fall evening.  This recipe is adapted from The Food of France.

We have a discussion of braising as a cooking technique.  Click here to access it:  Braising.

Personal Notes:  

1.  The French sauté and braise the chicken with skin on.  Because I like neither the look nor texture of braised chicken skin, I remove the skin.  It is also healthier, removing much of the fat.
2.  You can use a whole chicken, cut up, or just the parts you like best, such as breasts.  However, I prefer chicken thighs; I believe they have the best taste and texture when braised.

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs, skin removed, or a whole chicken, cut up

2 eating apples, such as golden delicious
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup brandy, apple brandy, or Calvados
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup apple cider (Preferably Hard Cider)
1 1/3 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche

Remove skin from chicken and trim off any visible fat.  Peel and cut the two apples into quarters; remove core.  Cut six of the quarters into wedge shaped slices; keep the other two as quarters.  Toss all the apples in the lemon juice.  Chop the onion and finely chop the celery stalk.

Heat some olive oil to medium in a large sauté pan on which you can put a lid.  Cook the chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.  Just before the chicken is done, finely dice the two apple quarters.  Remove the chicken and reserve in a bowl.  Pour off any excess fat, leaving a film in the pan.

  
Add the chopped onion and finely chopped celery and diced apple to the pan and sauté over medium low heat for 5 minutes; do not brown.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mix in.  Add the brandy, chicken stock, and apple cider.  Bring to a simmer.  Add the chicken and any exuded juices to the pan and cover.  Simmer for 15 minutes or more.  Here you make a decision as to how done you like your chicken.  I like it well done so I simmer it for 30 minutes.  If you like it fall-off-the-bone done, simmer it for 45 minutes.

When the chicken is 10 minutes from being done, put a tablespoon of butter (or if you are adverse to butter, olive oil) in a fry pan and heat to moderate.  Sauté the apple wedges until brown on both sides.  (Warning:  when they begin to brown, watch closely.  They rapidly over-brown.)  When brown, remove pan from heat.  

When chicken is done, remove from pan.  De-fat pan juices.  Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer; simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until stock thickens a bit.  Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.  Add chicken back to pan for a few minutes to heat a bit.  Then serve with apple slices, spooning sauce over chicken.

Very good with white or brown rice.

Variations:
1.  Use pork loin chops instead of chicken.
2.  Use a greater portion of apple cider and less chicken stock.  The French use 100% cider at times.
3.  Use light cream instead of heavy.  But in that case, reduce the pan juices first, let them cool, then stir in light cream.  Do not simmer.  Otherwise you will curdle the cream.
4.  Go for no fat.  Do not add any cream; serve de-fated pan juices over the chicken.