This recipe for Chicken with Leeks, Mushrooms and Apples (or Poulet Vallée d’Auge) is a recipe from the Normandy region of France. Normandy is also the home of leeks and Calvados, a brandy made from apples, all of which are incorporated in this incredible dish. What a better recipe for this season when apples are at their best!
Ingredients
Seared Apples, Mushrooms and Chicken
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 2 whole Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, quartered
- 1/2 lb button mushrooms
- 3 legs chicken
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 leek white and pale green parts only halved lengthwise, rinsed thoroughly and cut into 1/2" slices
- 2 medium shallots peeled and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup calvados or regular brandy
- 3/4 cup hard apple cider or apple juice or white wine
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or a large pinch of dried thyme
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup rich (14%) sour cream
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting the recipe.
- Season chicken with kosher salt and black pepper and set aside until ready to cook
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
- Add peeled and quartered apple pieces to skillet and sauté until the apples start to brown, about 5-6 minutes per side. Flip and brown the second side. Try not to move the apples once you have placed them in the pan.
- Remove apple slices from pan and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms until they lose their juice and begin to brown. About 10-12 minutes.
- Remove mushrooms from the pan and add to the reserved apple slices.
- Add tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the pan, heat until the butter and oil start to bubble, then add the chicken, skin side down.
- Reduce heat to medium and sear the chicken until browned, about 12-15 minutes per side, then flip and brown the second side. When the flip side has browned, remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Increase heat to medium high and add the leek and the shallots to the pan, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 5-6 minutes. Add a drizzle of olive oil if the pan seems dry.
- Add the brandy to the pan, stir to de-glaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits, until the brandy has all but evaporated, 4-5 minutes. Add thyme and bay leaves.
- Add hard cider, reduce heat to medium and cook until the cider is reduced by half, about 3 minutes, then add chicken stock, stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. By this time, the leek and the onions should have cooked down and should be very soft.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of flour and couple teaspoons of water and stir to combine to make a slurry. Fold the slurry into the sour cream and mix well to combine.
- Remove pan from the heat, remove chicken to a platter and add the sour cream mixture to the pan juices. Stir to combine well.
- Reduce heat to low and return pan to the heat and stir mixture until the sauce slightly thickens. Return the chicken pieces and top the chicken and sauce with the reserved apples and mushrooms and keep warm until ready to serve.
