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Chicken Normandy (French Apple Cider Chicken)

A rustic French one-pan dish featuring crispy chicken thighs braised in a creamy apple cider sauce with caramelized apples and thyme.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Autumn, French
Calories: 580
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and Sear
  • 6 large chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Apples and Aromatics
  • 2 large apples Honeycrisp or Braeburn, cored and sliced
  • 2 large shallots thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Sauce
  • 0.25 cup Calvados or brandy optional
  • 1 cup dry hard apple cider
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 0.75 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche

Equipment

  • Cast Iron Skillet or Dutch Oven
  • Tongs
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board

Method
 

  1. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Sear chicken skin-side down in hot butter/oil in a large skillet for 6-8 minutes until crispy. Flip and cook 2 mins. Remove chicken.
  3. Discard most fat. Add remaining butter, sliced apples, and shallots to skillet. Sauté 5-7 minutes until golden. Add garlic for 1 minute.
  4. Optional: Deglaze with brandy, scraping up browned bits.
  5. Add hard cider, broth, thyme, and mustard. Bring to simmer.
  6. Return chicken to skillet, skin-side up. Cover and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until cooked through (165°F).
  7. Remove chicken again. Simmer sauce to reduce slightly. Stir in heavy cream and heat gently.
  8. Return chicken to the sauce, garnish with fresh thyme, and serve from the skillet.

Notes

Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread.