Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: French
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Main
Favourite flavours: Chicken, Easy recipes
Convenience recipes: four or less

Real Living magazine recipe for chicken Normandy.

INGREDIENTS

20g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1.2kg whole chicken
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
2 brown onions, sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & each cut into 12 wedges
3 large thyme sprigs
Pinch of nutmeg
1½ tbsp plain flour
1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
1¾ tbsp Calvados (see "Tip")
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Olive oil spray
700g baby potatoes, halved
2 tbsp Philadelphia Cream For Cooking
1½ tbsp chopped chives
Handful parsley leaves, chopped roughly

Equipment
Sharp knife
Peeler
Wide, shallow ovenproof saucepan
Paper towel
Tongs
Wooden spoon
Baking tray
Chopping board
Spoon

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Heat butter and olive oil in saucepan over medium-high heat.

Pat skin of chicken dry with paper towel. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook chicken, turning once, for 5 to 7 mins, until browned on both sides. Place on board.

Cook onion, apple and thyme for 5 mins, until starting to colour. Sprinkle over nutmeg and flour. Cook for 2 mins. Add vinegar and Calvados and cook, stirring, for about 3 secs. Stir in stock and mustard.

Return chicken to pan, breast side down. Push vegies around outside of chicken. Cook in oven for 30 mins. Turn chicken over so breast faces up and is out of any liquid. Return to oven for a further 30 to 35 mins, until meat is cooked.

Roast potatoes Meanwhile, spray baking tray with olive oil spray. Place potatoes on tray and spray with oil. Season. Cook on lower rack of oven for 25 mins. Remove potatoes from oven.

Toss well and crush gently with back of spoon. Spray with a little more olive oil spray and return to oven, until chicken is cooked and potatoes golden and crisp.

Remove chicken and potatoes from oven. Transfer chicken to clean board.

Add cream to saucepan and stir to create an apple sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve Scatter chives over potatoes and sprinkle apple sauce with parsley. Carve chicken and serve with potatoes and sauce. Delicious!

Tip Calvados is an apple brandy. Instead of buying an entire bottle, look for a miniature bottle at liquor stores, which contains the correct amount for this recipe.