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Poulet à la Normande

Name: Poulet à la Normande
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 450 g boneless, skin-on chicken thighs; 5 g fine sea salt; 2 g black pepper; 20 g unsalted butter; 10 ml olive oil; 150 g button mushrooms, sliced; 120 g yellow onion, finely sliced; 6 g garlic, minced; 4 g fresh thyme; 250 ml dry apple cider; 30 ml Calvados; 100 ml chicken stock; 80 ml double cream; 10 g Dijon mustard; 8 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

This Norman-style chicken is silky, savoury, and gently sweet with the fragrance of apples, thyme, and cream. Golden chicken thighs braise in a reduced cider sauce with mushrooms and onion, creating a luxurious but balanced low-carb main course.

45 min

2 servings

705 kcal

French

Ingredients

Poulet et assaisonnement

450 gboneless, skin-on chicken thighs
5 gfine sea salt
2 gblack pepper

Garniture normande

20 gunsalted butter
10 mlolive oil
150 gbutton mushrooms, sliced
120 gyellow onion, finely sliced
6 ggarlic, minced
4 gfresh thyme

Sauce au cidre

250 mldry apple cider
30 mlCalvados
100 mlchicken stock
80 mldouble cream
10 gDijon mustard

Finition

8 gflat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

1
Pat the chicken dry and season both sides evenly with the salt and black pepper. Slice the mushrooms and onion, mince the garlic, strip the thyme leaves if using woody stems, and chop the parsley so everything is ready before you start cooking.
2
Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil. When the foam subsides, lay in the chicken skin-side down and sear for 5-6 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and releases easily from the pan. Turn and cook the second side for 2 minutes more, then transfer to a plate; it will finish cooking in the sauce.
3
Lower the heat to medium. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 3 minutes until they give off their moisture and begin to colour. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
4
Take the pan briefly off the heat, add the Calvados, then return to medium heat and let it reduce for about 30 seconds. Pour in the apple cider and chicken stock, scraping the browned bits from the bottom; these are essential for depth of flavour. Simmer briskly for 4-5 minutes until the liquid reduces by about one third.
5
Stir in the double cream and Dijon mustard until smooth. Return the chicken to the pan skin-side up, along with any juices from the plate. Adjust the heat so the sauce gently simmers, then cook for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 74°C at the thickest part, and the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon.
6
Rest the pan off the heat for 2 minutes so the sauce settles slightly. Spoon the mushrooms and sauce around the chicken, scatter over the parsley, and serve immediately.

Nutrition per serving

705 kcal

Calories

36g

Protein

14g

Carbs

48g

Fat

Fiber

Notes

•For the best colour, do not move the chicken during the initial sear until the skin releases naturally from the pan.
•Use a dry Normandy-style cider if possible; sweet cider makes the sauce less balanced and less classic.
•If the sauce reduces too much before the chicken is done, add a small splash of stock or water.
•For a stricter low-carb plate, serve with buttered green beans, wilted spinach, or cauliflower purée rather than potatoes or bread.

Background

Poulet à la Normande comes from Normandy, a region famous for apples, cider, cream, and butter, all of which shape its rich rural cooking. The dish reflects the classic Norman marriage of poultry with cider and cream, often finished with Calvados for extra apple aroma.

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