Chicken in Cider

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The original chicken in cider was probably from the Normandy area of France. I got my initial recipe from an article by Albert Roux. This is my version, simplified for quick and easy family cooking. It serves four.

You need:

4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
50g clarified butter (ghee)
1 small glass of cognac or calvados
225g carrots, diced
150g onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
600mls sweet cider
1tbs chopped tarragon
300mls double (thick) cream
Salt and white pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C, 425°F

Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat, add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and brown them for about 6 minutes. Turn them over for a further 2 minutes, then pour over the brandy and set light to it.

Once the flames have died down, transfer the chicken to a separate plate and pour any remaining juices in the skillet into a flame-proof casserole dish. Do not clean the skillet.

Add the vegetables to the casserole and stir over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes. Add the tarragon, put the chicken pieces on top and pour in the cider. Bring this to the boil, cover and transfer to the oven.

Cook for 20 minutes. Check to make sure that the chicken is cooked and then transfer it to a warm serving dish. At this stage you can, if you wish, remove the skin.

Purée the remaining contents of the casserole to make a rich sauce and then reduce the liquid content by boiling rapidly for about 10 minutes in the skillet you first used for flaming the chicken. You need to stir this frequently.

Now stir in the cream and bring to the boil. Season the sauce with the salt and pepper and pour over the chicken.

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