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Chicken in Cider

Introduction & method

This is another Keith Floyd recipe from his TV series Floyd On France - he says it's a well known Breton recipe, although the family he cooked it for had never heard of it. Anyway, serve it with stuffed apples, it's pretty tasty.

 Chicken in Cider Recipe

Prep the Apples


Core the apples but leave the skin on. Chop the walnuts and mix with an equal amount of raisins. Stuff each apple with this mixture, sprinkle with a teaspoonful of caster sugar, and place a small knob of butter on each one.

Cook The Chicken


Heat your oven to 180°C (356°F) for a fan/convection oven or airfryer, 200°C (392°F) conventional, gas 6. You can use a whole chicken - but in Floyd's video he only serves the drumsticks, thighs and wings. I find it more convenient to just use thighs, and they will cook more quickly than whole birds. Season the thighs with salt and pepper and dab them with butter. Peel and finely chop the shallots (or a small onion), finely chop the carrot. Melt the butter in a roasting pan. Add the shallots and carrot and stir to get them coated. Pour in the cider. Place the chicken portions on the vegetables, skin-side up and fit the stuffed apples in where you can. Bake for 40 minutes.

Make the Sauce


Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Take out the chicken portions and the apples - put them on a warmed plate and loosely tent them in foil. Strain the liquid from the roasting tin into a saucepan and boil it vigorously to reduce by half. Turn down the heat, add the cream and season with salt and pepper.

To Serve


I his TV version, Floyd pours armagnac over the chicken and sets fire to it. I'm not sure what this adds to the dish except for a bit of drama. Arrange one or two chicken thighs on a plate with a baked apple. Pour sauce over the chicken. Serve with some crushed new potatoes and the vegetables of your choice.


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Chicken in Cider on YouTube.

 
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Ingredients & Info


THE CHICKEN
 8 chicken thighs
 150 ml cider
 1 large carrot
 2 shallots
 50 grams butter
 2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
  salt and pepper to taste
THE APPLES
 4 apples
 some raisins
 some walnuts
 some caster sugar
 some small blobs of butter

PLUS

Optional, Calvados or cognac to flambé the dish.


UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Serves 4 
Prep time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 45 minutes.
Total time: 55 minutes.