Chicken Normande (Kip à la Normande)

Method

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Melt half of the butter in a large casserole dish over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear for approximately 2 minutes until browned all over. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. 2

   In the same casserole dish, fry the bacon strips and onion for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and the bacon is nicely colored. Return the chicken to the pan and pour the cider over it. Bring to a boil, then place in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

3. 3

   10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, melt the remaining butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the apple wedges, sprinkled with sugar, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Toss with the lemon juice, remove from heat, and keep warm.

4. 4

   Remove the casserole dish from the oven and turn the oven off. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken from the pan and keep it warm on a baking sheet inside the oven. Place the casserole dish on high heat and let the cooking liquid reduce slightly for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the mustard and cream and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

5. 5

   Pour the sauce into a deep dish, arrange the chicken and apple wedges inside, and sprinkle with cress. Serve with mashed potatoes.