Wednesday, December 11, 2024

French Chicken Casserole a la Normande

This French Chicken Casserole is going to be your new seasonal favourite. Chicken thighs and legs slowly braised in apple cider and served with fried apple wedges are as scrumptious as it sounds.

 

Servings:
6 people  –  Calories: 419kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
    1 kg chicken thighs and legs
  • salt
  • 4 shallots diced or one medium onion
  • 1 rib celery diced
  • 4-5 thyme sprigs
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 125g or 6 strips of bacon, chopped
  • 2 tbsp brandy or whiskey
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock
  • 1 ½ cups hard dry apple cider such as Strongbow
  • 2 apples peeled, cored and cut into wedges
  • 1/2 cup double cream/heavy cream

TIP

Use skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and legs. The bones contribute to a complex and rich flavour.
Always brown the chicken before braising it. This step improves flavour and texture. (Use a splatter guard to protect yourself from hot oil.)
Use woodsy herbs like thyme, rosemary and/or bay leaf.
Base vegetables like onions/shallots, carrots, celery add another layer of complexity to your chicken casserole.
Season the dish carefully with salt. Always taste the final product before serving it.
Braise in the oven for at least 1 hour for your sauce to reduce and thicken and for tender, melt in your mouth chicken.
Finally be adventurous with flavours. Braising is a very forgiving cooking technique and is almost impossible to mess up!

Method.

  • Turn the oven on to 180C.
  • Pat dry chicken legs and thighs with a paper towel and salt all over.
  • In a large casserole dish brown the chicken parts in 1 tbsp of oil over medium- high heat until golden.
  • Remove to a separate platter and set aside.
  • Discard the chicken fat or reserve it for another use if desired.
  • Fry the bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered. (If the bacon is very fatty, discard most of the fat.)
  • Remove the bacon to the same platter as browned chicken.
  • To the same pan add the shallots and celery with 2 sprigs of thyme and cook over low heat until soft but not coloured for 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer while stirring.
  • Then hit the pan with some brandy and stir while scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula, continue cooking until the alcohol burns out.
  • Then add the flour and stir until it’s combined with the fat and turns into a paste, then slowly add the chicken stock and stir until the mixture resembles a thick gravy.
  • Pour in the apple cider and stir to combine.
  • Return the chicken and bacon to the casserole dish with 2-3 sprigs of thyme and bring to a boil.
  • Put the casserole into the preheated oven and cook with a lid on for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook for 30 minutes longer.
  • While the chicken is in the oven fry the apple wedges in 2 tbsp of the reserved chicken fat or butter. Watch them carefully as they burn quickly.
  • Take the casserole out of the oven and stir in the heavy cream and cook for 20 minutes longer uncovered.
  • Take out of the oven, stir in the cooked apple wedges and serve with potatoes or rice.