Chicken in cider – an easy to prepare casserole worthy of any dinner table. The cider gives a fantastic rich flavour to this casserole making it tasty enough to serve for a dinner party and economical enough to serve as a family meal.
I have been cooking this for more years than I care to remember - certainly going back to when I was a student. The original recipe was in one of the first cookery books I owned (I now own hundreds – well maybe not hundreds but a lot!) and used white wine. Back then the wine was substituted with cider through necessity. Now it is a matter of choice not least because we make our own cider most years. Choose a good quality cider for maximum flavour the very cheap stuff is just not as good. I like to add mushrooms, but these can be left out if you prefer. My preference is to use free range chicken which can be difficult to get in smaller portions in our local shops. As a result I tend to buy a whole chicken and cut it into quarters myself. It's also much cheaper that way. Alternatively if you don't use chicken quarters you could use any part of the chicken you prefer. Drumsticks, thighs, a mixture of the two, or even boneless chicken breasts. Personally I don't think the flavour of boneless chicken breasts in casseroles is as good as the others, but it's a matter of taste. Just take care not to over cook them as they may become a bit tough. They are also by far the most expensive option, which is something to consider I would save them for other dishes that they are more suited to.
Step by step Chicken in cider
Chicken in cider
Ingredients
- About 3 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 2 large onions sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 4 chicken quarters
- 300 g mushrooms sliced
- 2 tablespoon plain flour
- 300 ml dry cider
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
- Transfer the onion and garlic to a large saucepan or flameproof casserole.
- Add a little extra oil to the frying pan and brown the chicken quarters over a high heat on both sides. You may need to do this in batches. Once browned, place on top of the onions.
- Put the mushrooms in the frying pan and cook until soft. Stir in the flour. Then stir in the cider and chicken stock and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the mustard and season with salt and pepper.
- Pour over the chicken, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.
Notes
Andy says
Very simple and good, I just added a tbsp of fresh basil and a tbsp of creme fraishe at the end. Lovely
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Hi Andy, Delighted that you liked the recipes and you additions sound delicious. Thank you for taking the time to comment, it is always nice to hear when someone has enjoyed my recipe.
David says
Hi,
I made this to your recipe, but added slightly less stock/cider and then used it to fill a puff pastry pie. The result.......delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Ohh I can imagine that pie was delicious I must try this too.
Ange says
This looks delicious Jacqui! I think I might make this for tonights dinner!
Jacqui says
Thank you Ange. f you do would love to know what you think.
Deb says
I missed this one - looks delish. I don't cook much but will definitely be giving it a try. Makes me hungry, just looking at the pics.
Jacqui says
Hi Deb
It is delish. If you don't want to miss a recipe again, (you can not rely on Facebook showing you them all) the best thing to do is subscribe to the blog. I only send out one email a week usually on a Friday and let you know what I have posted that week.
Hope you enjoy this dish when you get round to giving it a try. Do let me and others know by rating it if you get a chance. - jacqui