Chicken with Apple Cream Sauce Recipe

Fresh tasting apples and tender chicken makes this low salt recipe ideal for serving as part of a special meal.

Recipe : Chicken with Apple Cream Sauce

Ingredients :

60g / 2 oz unsalted butter

30ml / 2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 skinned and boned chicken breasts

60ml / 4 tbsp brandy

2 dessert apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

2.5 ml / 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

90ml / 6 tbsp chicken stock

2 eggs, lightly beaten

90ml / 6 tbsp double cream

Method :

Melt half the butter and all of the oil in a large saute pan until it is foaming. Add the chicken and fry gently, turning once or twice, until each piece is well browned. Pour off most of the fat from the pan, leaving just the chicken pieces and their juices to cook. Pour the brandy into the pan with the chicken and heat gently. Carefully ignite the brandy with a match and shake the sauce pan until the flames subside.

In a small saucepan or frying pan, melt the remaining butter. Stir in the chopped apple, shallot and celery. COok for about 5 minutes, until soft, but not brown. Add the cooked apples to the chicken portions, along with the thyme and stock. Bring the chicken to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and arrange on a serving dish. Put the eggs and cream into a bowl and gradually whisk in some of the hot sauce from the saute pan. Continue whisking until all the hot sauce has been added and the mixture is smooth.

Return the sauce to the saute pan and heat gently over a low temperature for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken breasts and serve garnished with some watercress. Whisking vigorously with a balloon whisk, gradually add the hot sauce mixture to the eggs and cream, beating until smooth.

Serving idea - Serve with saute potatoes and petit pois.

Preparation - If preferred, the sauce can be blended using a food processor or liquidizer instead of whisking by hand.

Watchpoint - Take great care not to allow the sauce to boil once the egg and cream is added or it will curdle.

Serves 4

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