Our country chicken with Livarot cheese and melted apples is the perfect recipe to end the season in style. It’s a free-range chicken cut into pieces, golden-browned in butter, braised in apple cider with melted apples and finished with Livarot — a rich, creamy cheese from Normandy.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 free-range chicken, cut into pieces
- 4 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 Livarot cheese (or substitute with Camembert)
- 300ml dry apple cider
- 200ml crème fraîche
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Fresh thyme and bay leaf
- Salt, pepper, and nutmeg
- Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. In a large skillet, brown them in butter on all sides until golden. Set aside.
- In the same pan, sauté the shallots until soft. Return the chicken, add the cider and herbs, and braise covered on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the apple slices in butter with a pinch of sugar until soft and golden.
- Remove the chicken from the pan. Stir in the crème fraîche and let the sauce reduce for 5 minutes. Add the Livarot (rind removed, cut into pieces) and stir until melted.
- Return the chicken to the pan with the apples. Warm through for 5 more minutes and serve with steamed potatoes or crusty bread.