# Chicken Normandy: A fancy dinner in 45 minutes!



## OldFashionedMama (Jun 18, 2009)

I got this recipe from one of those "365 Ways to Make..." books. It's a perfect fall dish, easy to make and big on flavor (and calories LOL!) I'll be making this for dinner tomorrow. I adjusted a few things to my own liking, but if anyone has the 365 ways to make chicken book, the original recipe is in there.

You will need:

1 whole chicken, cut up. 
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup white cooking wine or your favorite white wine (I particularly enjoy cooking with Liebfraumilch, a tasty and inexpensive German spice wine.) *Usually sold with the ports and cordials* 
3 shallots, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and pushed through a garlic press. (don't skip this step! Pressing the garlic makes a big impact on this recipe!)
2-3 apples, peeled and cored (Mealy ones like Stayman-Winesap work well. You need something that will hold up during cooking.) *I used Gala this evening. They were pretty nice!*
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (increase as needed) 
3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
3T butter
1 tsp Herbs de Provence (or poultry seasoning with a pinch of dried lavender)
salt and pepper to taste

Set your oven's broiler to the "High" setting. and place the oven rack as close as you can, allowing for decent clearance between whichever pan or pot you use and the broiler itself. Stainless steel and nonstick are fine, enameled cast iron is better if you have a Dutch oven large enough to accomodate this recipe. 

Chop the shallots and saute them in the butter until they are soft but not browned. You can do this in a separate, smaller saute pan or in the main skillet. Add chicken and cook about 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Push the garlic through the press at this point and add to the chicken. After the chicken is browned, add the broth, wine, and herbs. Cover and simmer on medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. Add apples and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and apples and place everything into an oven safe casserole dish (I use Pyrex). Pour the cream into the skillet and bring quickly to a boil. As soon as it bubbles, pour it over the chicken. Cover the whole dish with the shredded Swiss cheese, then broil until the cheese is bubbling but NOT brown. NOTE: If you are using an ECI Dutch oven, keep the chicken where it is and boil the cream in a small saucepan, then add it to the chicken.This is another advantage of having one-perfectly oven safe and no need to dirty up another large kitchen item.) 


The result is a hearty, intensely satisfying meal that tastes like it took hours to make, but is really quite easy.


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

Oooo sounds yummy


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