Poulet à la Normande
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 13-4 pound chicken, cut into 8 bone-in pieces
- Salt and black pepper
- 3tablespoons olive oil, duck fat or chicken fat
- ½cup Calvados or cognac
- 1¼cups hard cider, preferably a yeasty French one
- 15pearl onions, peeled (frozen is fine)
- 1½pounds honeycrisp apples, or any variety that doesn’t melt when cooked
- 2tablespoons cornstarch
- 5tablespoons crème fraîche (see note)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
932 calories; 55 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 52 grams protein; 1766 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels, and season well with salt and pepper. Heat the fat in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, skin side down until deep golden, 6 to 8 minutes, then flip, and sear the other side until golden, another 3 minutes.
- Step 2
If flambéing: Make sure there is nothing flammable near or above your stove. Gently warm the Calvados in a saucepan over medium heat. When the chicken is well browned, protect your hand, and use a long kitchen match to light the liquor on fire, then carefully pour it into the chicken pan. The flame can shoot over 2 feet high, so be careful. Cook until the flame subsides. If not flambéing: Once the chicken is browned, turn off the heat, and add the Calvados. When the sizzling subsides, turn the heat on to medium low, bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
- Step 3
Add the cider and onions, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer. Quickly peel and core the apples, and cut them into 1½-inch chunks, and place them on top of the chicken. Cover the pan, and cook, checking occasionally to ensure the liquid is maintaining a gentle simmer, not boiling, until the chicken is just cooked through, 35-40 minutes.
- Step 4
Remove the chicken, onions and apples to a platter, and cover. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Stir this into the braising liquid, and bring to a simmer for 1 minute, until thickened. Stir in the crème fraîche, and season the sauce with salt to taste, replace the chicken, onions and apples in the sauce and serve with crusty bread and a salad.
- If you can’t find crème fraîche, replace it with sour cream or, in a pinch, use heavy cream and add a little squeeze of lemon.
Private Notes
Comments
Sublime and complex. The key is to avoid all shortcuts.
Use Calvados.
Use Honey Crisp apples.
Use crème fraiche.
Use a yeasty, French hard cider and not a sweet American one.
Then you create the sort of dish that makes your diners debate why it is so delicious.
Cooked this last night for guests & highly recommend. Worried about comments that it was bland I crisped 200 gm of diced bacon and sautéed the chicken in the bacon fat to add flavour. Used the entire can of hard cider (480 cc) and let it reduce down with the onions and apples in advance. Added the chicken back in and cooked for 30 mins after the guests arrived. Added the bacon just before serving. Served with a German Riesling it was a big hit and I will definitely cook again.
This recipe is one of our family favorites. It is critical to avoid a cider with any sweetness. We use Aval, which we can get from Fresh Direct. Also, always use calvados. It's cheaper than cognac, and fits the recipe better.
The cornstarch ruined what would have been a delicate sauce, and the apples added too much sweetness. After making this recipe and really not liking the reseukts, I looked at other recipes for poulet à la Normande here in France. I was hard pressed to find any that included corn starch among the ingredients, and most authentic recipes call for a fraction of the apples. Many suggest a dollop of Dijon mustard which would have helped to round out the sauce.
Wonderful.
Accept no shortcuts and invest in a good fire extinguisher when you add the brandy. The results are incredible.