This dish, also known as Poulet vallée d’Auge in French, is made with chicken, dry cider, apples, cream and mushrooms. It comes from the Normandy region of France, known for its production of apples, cheeses (Camembert), and Calvados apple brandy. France is globally ranked 10th in apple production, so we can enjoy many apple recipes from this area! And let’s not forget that Normandy also holds a special place in ours hearts: Rouen is where Julia Child had her first French meal of Sole Meunière, which was a turning point in her life!
I first made this dish in 2012 when I was studying regional cuisine at the Paris Cordon Bleu School. Things were more complicated then- we had to first remove the tendons from the whole chicken’s legs, truss it using trussing needles, then bake it in the oven. By the time we got to actually making the Calvados sauce (the fun part), I was getting a little tired. However, in order to make things easier now, I use already cut-up chicken pieces, preferring mainly chicken thighs and drum sticks for this recipe.
It’s best to use a dry cider for this recipe-slightly sparkling- not the overly- sweet kind often found in supermarkets. Here is a photo of some of the main ingredients for this dish (you’ll love the Calvados apple brandy)!
The key to making a delicious Calvados sauce is to not rush it, but to lovingly ‘nurse’ the sauce along. After the chicken is cooked with the cider and Calvados, the chicken pieces are temporarily removed in order to thicken and develop the sauce. To thicken the sauce, I’ve used a beurre manié, equal parts butter and flour kneaded together, gradually stirred into the sauce. Be sure to taste your sauce periodically and adjust the seasonings to your liking. (My husband likes me to add a few dashes of chili flakes to this dish. It’s not ‘authentic’, but shhhh, there’s no need to tell the natives of Normandy)!
If you like chicken, apples and cream, you’ll love this dish!
Pre-heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place the olive oil and butter in a large fry pan or Dutch oven and heat; when the mixture begins to sizzle, add the chicken pieces, skin side facing down. Cook over medium high heat for about four minutes until the skin turns brown. Turn the chicken over and repeat on the other side. Transfer the browned chicken to a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain. Cook the sliced onions and mushrooms in the pan using the oils from the cooked chicken. Cook for several minutes until the veggies soften. De-glaze the pan with a splash of white wine. Add the Calvados, cider and thyme to the pan, then add back the browned chicken pieces. Arrange the sliced apples around the chicken pieces, then add a few sliced carrots. Cover the pan and cook in a pre-heated oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven, then remove the chicken pieces from the pan. Add the thickened cream to the pan and cook for several minutes on the stove- top. Knead the butter and flour together to form a 'dough', then gradually stir into the chicken mixture until the sauce thickens. Adjust for seasoning; add back the chicken pieces to the pan and re-warm. Serve in a bowl or on a plate and garnish with chopped parsley.Chicken with Calvados, Cider and Apples
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12 Comments
John / Kitchen Riffs
March 26, 2019 at 12:02 pmChili flakes sound like a delightful idea! Calvados has such nice flavor, doesn’t it? Sounds terrific in this dish — neat sauce. Thanks!
Juliana
March 28, 2019 at 5:00 amFran, this chicken with apple sounds and looks delicious, I love the idea of adding fruit in poultry dishes…I can only imagine how delicious is the sauce…and between us, I think it is a great idea to add a bit of pepper flakes. Thanks for this recipe…have a wonderful rest of the week!
David
March 28, 2019 at 8:36 amFran – this is such a classic and I love it! Thanks for the reminder that I need to make it again. And, this time, I will use your recipe (slight variations).
Jeff the Chef
March 28, 2019 at 2:15 pmIt’s like someone invented this dish for me, personally! I’ve everything I love, in one dish. Or maybe I was invented for it. No matter, we’re going to get together very, vert soon. When you say dry cider, I assume you mean a dry hard cider? That’d be easy for me to find.
Fran Flint
March 28, 2019 at 8:02 pmJeff, thanks for your enthusiastic comment! ‘Dry cider’ is non-alcoholic cider that is not sweet- probably easier to find in a specialty store than in a supermarket.
Jeff the Chef
April 10, 2019 at 11:55 amOh, OK. That may be more of a challenge. But I’ll give it a go.
Colleen fitzsimkns
March 28, 2019 at 11:11 pmI’m going to try this one fran
Fran Flint
March 29, 2019 at 2:46 pmYippee! Hope you enjoy it!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
March 28, 2019 at 11:24 pmYour secret is safe with me Fran, I’ll never tell the natives of Normandy that I like your version better than their original. 😀
mae
March 29, 2019 at 12:01 amThat’s a great choice from a really wonderful cuisine.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Amanda
March 31, 2019 at 8:34 amI adore chicken and would eat it every night of the week, if only my husband felt the same. But I think I’d prefer ‘old school’ – I’m quite afraid of chilli.
Mimi
April 8, 2019 at 1:14 amThis is so wonderful. I didn’t know that about Julia Child. I have Calvados from years ago – I need to smell it to see if it’s still good! I love that you say you are a survivor of the cordon Bleu !