Description
Culinary magic meets French countryside charm in this chicken normandy classic, blending tender chicken with rich apple brandy cream sauce. Normandy’s beloved dish promises a luxurious dining experience that whisks you directly to rustic French kitchens with its elegant, comforting flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Normandy
Protein:
- 6 chicken legs (seasoned with salt and pepper)
- 200 g (7 oz) bacon lardons
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 2 onions (finely chopped)
- 2 sticks celery (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
Liquids and Seasonings:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 500 milliliters (16.9 fluid ounces) dry cider
- 150 milliliters (5 fluid ounces) chicken stock
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 150 milliliters (5 fluid ounces) crème fraîche
Instructions
- Prepare a warm, inviting culinary workspace by heating the oven to a gentle 180°C, creating the perfect environment for a rustic French-inspired dish.
- Select a robust ovenproof casserole dish and caress its surface with olive oil, transforming it into a golden-hued cooking canvas.
- Tenderly sear chicken legs, coaxing out rich, caramelized notes by browning each side until a beautiful amber exterior develops, then set aside to rest.
- Introduce crispy bacon to the pan, allowing its luxurious fat to render and create a flavor-packed foundation for the upcoming symphony of ingredients.
- Incorporate finely chopped onions, delicate celery, and aromatic garlic, gently sweating these aromatics until they become translucent and release their fragrant essence.
- Dust the vegetable medley with a whisper of flour, creating a silky base that will help thicken the eventual sauce with elegant precision.
- Deglaze the pan with crisp apple cider, scraping up the deeply flavorful caramelized bits clinging to the dish’s bottom, awakening layers of complexity.
- Pour in rich chicken stock, then nestle fresh thyme sprigs and a fragrant bay leaf into the liquid, infusing the sauce with herbaceous undertones.
- Carefully return the seared chicken legs to the dish, submerging them in the aromatic liquid, then cover and slide into the preheated oven for a transformative 40-minute culinary journey.
- Once cooking is complete, gently extract the chicken, keeping it warm and inviting while preparing the final flourish.
- Swirl luxurious crème fraîche into the sauce, allowing it to simmer and thicken into a velvety, coating consistency that promises pure comfort.
- Reunite the chicken with its sublime sauce, warming through to ensure every morsel is enrobed in the rich, creamy essence of Normandy.
Notes
- Perfectly sear chicken legs to lock in rich flavors and develop a golden-brown exterior before slow cooking.
- Choose a dry, crisp apple cider for authentic Normandy regional taste that complements the chicken’s richness.
- Use an ovenproof casserole dish to transition seamlessly from stovetop browning to oven braising without transferring ingredients.
- Select bone-in chicken legs for maximum flavor, tenderness, and traditional French countryside cooking technique.
- Add crème fraîche at the end to create a silky, luxurious sauce that transforms the dish from rustic to elegant.
- Fresh thyme and bay leaf are essential for building complex, aromatic undertones typical of classic French cuisine.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg