French Chicken Casserole a la Normande
A comforting French casserole featuring chicken thighs braised in a creamy apple-cider sauce with bacon, mushrooms and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Chicken & Bacon
- 4 chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 150 g bacon lardons
Vegetables & Aromatics
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 carrots diced
- 200 g mushrooms sliced
Sauce & Seasoning
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 250 ml chicken stock
- 100 ml apple cider
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp dried
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Chicken Preparation
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then pat dry.
- Heat butter and oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat.
- Brown chicken skin-side down for 5 minutes until golden, flip and brown 5 more minutes, then transfer to a plate.
Building the Casserole
- Cook bacon lardons for 3 minutes until fat renders and crackling sounds.
- Add onion, garlic and carrots; sauté 5 minutes until fragrant and softened.
- Stir in mushrooms and cook 3 minutes until edges deepen in color.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
- Pour in chicken stock and apple cider, scraping up brown bits, then bring to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in heavy cream, thyme and bay leaves; season to taste.
- Nestle chicken into the sauce, cover and bake 40 minutes.
- Uncover and bake 15 minutes more until the top bubbles softly.
- Let rest uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Allow the casserole to rest uncovered for 10 minutes; this helps the sauce set and intensify in flavor.
If you prefer a thicker sauce, off the heat whisk together an additional teaspoon of flour with a splash of cream and stir back in until smooth.
For a make-ahead meal, assemble through step 10, cover, refrigerate overnight, then bake covered for 40 minutes and uncover for the final 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 300gCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 6g
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