Coq au cidre (cider chicken)

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 ounce Slab bacon; cut in 1/2' dice
1 tablespoon Peanut oil
3½ pounds Chicken; skin & fat removed, cut in 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper; to taste
4 larges Onions; thinly sliced
1 Clove garlic; finely chopped
2¾ cup Sparkling dry apple cider; (1 lb. 5 oz.)
⅓ cup Calvados or brandy; (1 lb. 5 oz.)
8 Prunes; pitted
1 Bouquet garni***
6 Sprigs parsley
4 Sprigs fresh thyme; OR
½ teaspoon Dried thyme leaves
2 Bay leaves

Directions

BOUQUET GARNI

To make Bouquet Garni: Tie together with kitchen string or put in a cheesecloth bag.

Preheat oven to 325øF. In a deep ovenproof skillet with a lid, brown bacon over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes, and transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off any fat in the pan. Add ½ tablespoon of the peanut oil to the pan and brown chicken over high heat, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken to a plate, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Add the remaining ½ tablespoon oil to the pan, reduce heat to low and add onions. Cook, stirring ocasionally, until the onions are very tender and golden, about 25 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in cider and calvados or brandy and bring to a boil. Add prunes, bouquet garni and the reserved bacon and chicken. Cover and bake until the chicken is very tender and no longer pink inside, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the bouquet garni. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.

NOTES : Brittany, like Normancy to the north, produces a great deal of ci= der for local consumption. It was an old Breton tradition to serve COQ A= U CIDRE to friends and workers after framing a new home.

Recipe by: Eating Well (Oct. 1994) page 65 Posted to recipelu-digest by Nesb2@... on Feb 6, 1998

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