Poulet Au Cidre Breton Brittany France Recipes

POULET AU CIDRE BRETON (BRITTANY, FRANCE)

Steps:

• Melt half the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions and apple cubes until golden.
• In a second pan, melt the rest of the butter. Add the Cognac and chicken breasts. Cook until brown on both sides. Top with the apples and onions, then add the cider. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Simmer uncovered until the cider has been reduced by about 2/3rds (This may take up to 40 minutes, so if you need to, remove the chicken once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, then keep simmering the sauce until it is the right consistency.).
• Remove the chicken breasts if you haven't already done so, keeping them warm. Add the cream to the cider and onion mixture and stir for a few minutes.
• Serve the chicken topped with the sauce.

POULET AU CIDRE (CHICKEN IN CIDER AND CALVADOS)

Steps:

• Peel and core apples. Finely chop half of one apple and cut the rest into 12 wedges. Toss the apple in lemon juice.
• Heat half the butter in large frying pan. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook until golden. Turn chicken over and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and pour off fat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan and add onion, celery and chopped apple. Fry over moderate heat for 5 minutes without browning.
• Remove from heat. Sprinkle flour into mixture and stir. Add Calvados and return to heat. Gradually stir in cider. Bring to a boil, return chicken to pan, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
• Heat remaining butter in small frying pan. Add apple wedges and fry over moderate heat until browned and tender. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• Remove the chicken pieces from the pan to a platter and keep warm. Skim excess fat from cooking liquid. Add creme fraiche, bring just to a boil and simmer 4 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve with warm apple wedges.

POULET à LA NORMANDE

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 1 1/2-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.
• 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.