Poulet Vallée d'Auge

Adapted from Normandy Gastronomique by Jane Sigal

Serves 4

2 lbs chicken (ideally skin-on thighs, but still great with skinless breasts)

4 tbsp butter

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 tsp all-purpose flour

1 large bouquet garni (fresh parsley, bay leaf, and thyme tied up together in a bundle)

1 cup dry cider (ideally alcoholic)

1 cup chicken stock

0.5 cup Calvados

1 cup crème fraîche

Salt & pepper to taste

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat until melted. Brown the chicken on both sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute the onion and carrot until soft, approximately 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stir well, and saute for 1-2 minutes to cook off the flour taste. Stir in the cider and stock, scraping up the amazingly flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add the bouquet garni and chicken back to the pan, and raise the heat to medium-high. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cover, letting it simmer for 15 minutes or so.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the Calvados. CAREFULLY light it with a long match or hand lighter. The flame will flash for a moment, then settle down to a lower level. In a few moments, it will disappear altogether once the alcohol is cooked off. Please be careful!

Reduce the Calvados to about half the amount, then add it to the chicken. Cook the mixture for an additional 15 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a separate plate and cover them to keep them warm.

Bring the cooking liquid to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer until reduced by half. Pour it into a separate saucepan (if you want a smoother sauce, pass it through a strainer or chinois), add the crème fraîche, and simmer on medium until reduced by a quarter or so. (You can simmer it until the sauce is the consistency you prefer.) Turn off the heat and add the chicken. Cover the pan and keep it warm until serving.

If you want to take it up a notch, core apples and cut them into wedges. Then fry them in some butter until golden-brown. Line the serving plates with the wedges, and garnish with some chopped parsley for color if you like.

Enjoy!