Poulet Vallée d’Auge

(Chicken & Apples braised in Creamy Brandy Sauce)

Poulet Vallée d’Auge (Chicken & Apples braised in Creamy Brandy Sauce)

This recipe, which originates from Normandy, France, and it combines the sweetness of apples and savoriness of chicken thighs with a deliciously creamy sauce.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 6-8 chicken thighs
• 3 apples cored and cubed (we used honeycrisp)
• 2 shallots sliced
• 1 cup apple cider
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ⅓ cup brandy
• 16 oz sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 leeks sliced (including just white and pale green parts)
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 1 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
• Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Arrange chicken thighs on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until slightly crispy and some water has come out (~3-5 minutes on each side). Drain water and set aside.
• In a large pan with olive oil, saute shallots, leeks, and garlic and set aside. Then saute the mushrooms in the same pan and set aside. Then saute the apples for a few minutes and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a Dutch oven or large oven-proof skillet, add the leeks, shallots, bay leaves, and thyme then place the chicken thighs, skin-side up. Pour in the brandy, apple cider, and chicken stock (this should come about ⅓ to halfway up the chicken). Season with some salt/pepper.
• Place Dutch oven in in oven and bake for 20 minutes covered. Then add apples and bake for another 15 minutes uncovered or until internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees. Add mushrooms and creme fraiche or heavy cream and serve warm.

Notes

For extra flare, you can flambé the shallots and leeks by adding brandy toward the end of the saute and using a match to ignite it. This lets your onions and leeks caramelize in brandy. This is actually the traditional method of making Poulet Vallée d’Auge.

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