Cider Apple Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Total cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.8 kg chicken
60g unsalted butter
oil, for cooking
60 ml Calvados
2 French shallots, finely chopped
500 ml cider
250 ml cream


What to do...

1. Cut the chicken into 4 or 8 pieces and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat half the butter and a little oil in a pan and sauté the chicken in batches, skin-side down, until lightly brown. Pour off the excess fat, return all the chicken to the pan, add the Calvados and light with a match to flambé (keep the sauce pan lid on one side in case of emergency.) Add the shallots and cook gently until softened, but not brown. Add the cider, cover and cook for 15 minutes, turning the chicken after 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in the remaining butter, covered for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cooking juices, and the cream to the chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and keep warm.

3. Continue cooking the sauce for 10 minutes, or until it is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Return the chikcen to the pan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through.


From: Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection: Chicken