18th Century Drunken English Somerset Cider Chicken With Honey

French Tart's Note:

A delicious 18th Century recipe from the county of Somerset; Somerset is the home of England's most notorious cider, 'scrumpy', a seemingly innocent drink to the unwary! However, cider makes an excellent substitute for wine in cooking and tenderises the meat beautifully. The addition of honey blends extremly well with the cider, and adds a complexity to this easily baked chicken dish. Serve with steamed greens and baked or mashed potatoes.

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 chicken legs-thighs (chicken joints)
• 2 teaspoons English mustard powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• black pepper
• ¼ pint cider
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Put your chicken pieces in a dish (in a single layer).
2. Combine the remaining ingredients, pour over the chicken and allow to stand for a minimum of 1 hour.
3. Oven bake the chicken slowly in a large oven proof dish/pan for approximately 1 hour, basting the joints periodically as they cook.
4. Serve hot with steamed greens and mashed or baked potatoes.

Reviews

[Matticrafts (Milford, MI)]

I used Woodchuck (hard cider). Cooked the chicken at 350F. Based at 20" and 40". At 40", dipped out much of the liquid, and the chicken colored up nicely. Very moist, and tasty. Oh, yes -- used thighs only, as I dislike legs.

[Sous Chef Bentley]

This is embarrassing but I didn't realize cider was an alcoholic beverage until my husband came home & asked what I used instead of the cider. Apple cider, isn't that the same? No, he replied. Oh well, learn something new everyday. I substituted the leg-thighs with breasts & the house smelled wonderful. I loved the combination of cider, mustard & honey. Our chicken was very tender, but I found the skin not as crispy as I hoped which is probably the result of using apple cider. Great recipe & so simple to put together. I look forward to making this again, but with "cider". Thank you for posting this recipe.

[longearslove]

Absolutely LOVED this recipe! I used a full bottle of woodchuck cider and local honey at 350F...I used chicken breast (what I had available!), and marinated it for 1.5 hours. Basted several times during cooking and poured leftover juices over top before serving. I am cooking impaired and this turned out a beautiful browned and juicy treat. Served with cheesy ranch potatoes, apple sauce, and green beans and had nothing left! Thank you so much for this recipe, I will be using it a lot in the future!