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French Chicken Casserole à la Normande

French chicken Normande is a hearty casserole of braised chicken thighs in a golden cream sauce with caramelized apples and apple cider. This French chicken casserole simmers until tender, then finishes with warm apple slices for a rustic, farmhouse-style result.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: French
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs
  • 5 bone-in chicken thighs
Apples and aromatics
  • 2 apples peeled and sliced
  • 0.5 onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
Cider and cream base
  • 1 cup hard apple cider or white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme
Seasoning and garnish
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste
  • 1 fresh parsley for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sear the chicken
  1. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then sear skin-side down in butter and olive oil for 6 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Build the Normande base
  1. In the same pot, sauté diced onion for 3 minutes, until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant.
  2. Pour in hard apple cider and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes, scraping up the browned fond from the bottom of the pot. Keep the liquid gently bubbling.
  3. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, and fresh thyme until the sauce is smooth. Return to a simmer, then keep the heat at a gentle simmer.
Braised chicken and sauce finish
  1. Return chicken thighs to the pot skin-side up, ensuring they are nestled in the sauce. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce looks slightly thickened around the edges.
Caramelize the apples
  1. In a separate pan, sauté sliced apples in butter until golden, turning as needed for even browning. Cook until the apples look caramelized.
  2. Arrange caramelized apples around the chicken and simmer together for 5 more minutes. The apples should soften while keeping visible golden edges.
Serve
  1. Garnish with fresh parsley and spoon the creamy apple cider sauce over the chicken. Serve hot with sauce clinging to the chicken.

Notes

Pro tip: scrape the fond right after bringing the cider to a simmer—this is where the sauce develops depth and color. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; freeze the cooked casserole (without parsley garnish) for up to 2 months and reheat until steaming. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream (the sauce will be slightly less rich but still creamy).