Chicken à la Normande Recipe

4      Reviews by:    June Crowe   Chicken à la Normande Recipe uses chicken, olive oil, bacon, shallots, celery, thyme, garlic, brandy, flour, chicken stock, apple cider, apples, and heavy cream in making this delicious baked chicken recipe. Food Category:    Chicken and Fowl Cuisine Origin:    Midwestern    Servings:6 Nutrition facts:550 calories34.2 grams fat Print Preview Rate This Recipe Prep Time:   30 Minutes Cook Time:   35 Minutes Total Time:   1 Hour 5 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds chicken thighs or legs
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 strips bacon, chopped
• 4 shallots, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 4-5 thyme sprigs, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons brandy or whiskey
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups hard dry apple cider
• 2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and salt it all over. In a large, rounded oven-safe skillet, brown the chicken in 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the rendered chicken fat, discarding the rest.
• Fry the bacon in the skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered. Transfer the cooked bacon to the plate with the chicken, reserving about 1-2 tablespoons fat in the skillet. Add the shallots, the celery, and 2 sprigs of the thyme and cook over low heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the brandy to the skillet and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, and cook until the alcohol burns off, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the flour and stir until it forms a paste. Slowly add the chicken stock to the skillet, constantly stirring until the mixture resembles a thick gravy, about 3-4 minutes. Pour the apple cider into the skillet, stirring to combine. Return the chicken and the bacon to the skillet with the remaining thyme sprigs. Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Cover the skillet and bake for 20 minutes. In a medium saucepan, heat the reserved chicken fat. Add the apple wedges to the hot chicken fat and fry until golden, about 3-4 minutes. Be careful, as they can burn quickly. Transfer the skillet from the oven and stir in the heavy cream. Return the skillet to the oven and cook uncovered until the flavors have melded together, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked apple wedges. Taste the dish for seasoning.

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