Apple Cider Chicken With Mushroom Sauce

From a French cookbook, the original name is "Poulet Vallee d'Auge". This dish has conquered even my most traditional friends who were horrified at the sight of an apple on the same plate with a piece of chicken! (Calvados is a liquor distilled from apples).

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  kg chicken piece
• 80  g butter (6 tbsp)
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 60  ml calvados
• 2  finely chopped scallions
• 500  ml apple cider
• 150  g champignon mushrooms, sliced
• 250  ml  cream
• 200  g golden delicious apples
• 4  tablespoons parsley, chopped
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Heat 2 tbsp butter and the olive oil in a skillet, brown chicken pieces, then pour Calvados on the chicken and carefully light it with a match (keep a lid nearby, just in case…).
3. When the pan is no longer on fire, add scallions and cook on low heat until tender but not browned.
4. Pour Apple Cider in the pan and cook for 15 minutes, turning the chicken pieces once after 10 minutes.
5. Melt 2 tbsp butter in another pan, add mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes.
6. Add mushrooms and their liquid to the chicken pan, add cream too and cook further 5 minutes.
7. Take chicken out of the pan and keep it warm while thickening the sauce for about 10 minutes.
8. Salt and pepper to taste, return chicken to pan, bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes more.
9. Meanwhile core the apples without peeling them, brown them in a pan with remaining 2 tbsp butter.
10. Serve the chicken aside the apples, garnish with parsley.
11. (I like to do the recipe with only chicken breasts, cut into strips, and reduce cooking time accordingly).