Named for the beautiful Vallée d’Auge in the heart of Normandy, famous for its lush green rolling hills, apple orchards and dairy farms, this recipe combines some of the best bounties of the region: butter, crème fraîche, apples, cider and Calvados.
The creamy, cider-spiked, apple-and-mushroom-studded sauce is incredibly flavorful and uplifting. It’s quite versatile too! The chicken is often substituted for pork or veal, which makes this a staple recipe you’ll want to make over and over again.
SERVES 4
5 tbsp (75 g) unsalted butter, divided
4 chicken pieces (breasts and/or leg quarters), skin on
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and cubed
3½ tbsp (50 ml) Calvados (see tip)
1½ cups (375 ml) dry cider
6–7 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and finely chopped
4 cooking apples (900 g) (such as Honeycrisp, Braeburn or Jonagold), cored, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
2⅔ cups (186 g) white mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp (13 g) sugar
¾ cup plus 1 tbsp (200 ml) crème fraîche
Cooked white rice, for serving
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons (30 g) of butter. Season the chicken pieces with salt and ground pepper on both sides, and add them to the pan. Cook until brown, about 6 to 7 minutes on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
In the same frying pan, cook the shallot and carrot for about 5 minutes until tender and glistening. Stir in the Calvados, cider and parsley, and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on.
Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons (45 g) of butter. Add in the apple wedges and mushrooms, and sprinkle with sugar. Cook until the apples are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken pieces from the first pan, and keep them warm on a plate under foil. Let the liquid simmer with the lid off for another 10 minutes to reduce. Stir in the crème fraîche, and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in the apples and mushrooms, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Place the chicken back into the pan, and serve with white rice.
FRENCH PANTRY TIP: Calvados is an apple brandy produced in Normandy, distilled from cider made from specially grown and selected apples. Calvados is often served for apéro in Normandy, and used in the local cuisine to impart sweet flavors to meat dishes and desserts. It is also the basis of the trou Normand or “Norman hole.” It is said that a small drink of Calvados in between courses of a long meal will ease digestion and reawaken the appetite.