Cassie’s Ruminations

Pays d’Auge Chicken for 2

This is a somewhat easier take on my Pays d’Auge chicken, inspired by the mushrooms and apple brandy of the Pays d’Auge region in France. As I mentioned wanting to try in that post, I’ve used boneless skinless chicken thighs here and reduced the quantity of sauce. I kept the same amount of mushrooms, though, as we like them. A green salad accompanied the chicken.

Next time I do it this way, I might reduce the quantity of sauce even more, or make some rice in real quantity to sop it up. I made myself a little instant cup of brown rice – Minute Ready To Serve Brown Rice, which worked very nicely and helped fill out the meal for me, but Shaun’s still on the no carb bandwagon for now, so I didn’t bother with the rice maker. There was a fair bit of leftover sauce that I’m taking with my other little cup of rice for lunch tomorrow.

Pays d’Auge Chicken for 2
Makes 2 generous servings

¼ cup butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
1 tbsp apple brandy
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 large clove garlic, pressed
⅛ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp dried thyme leaves
⅛ tsp white pepper
⅛ tsp kosher salt
1 lb small mushrooms, halved
1 tbsp paprika

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

As the oven warms, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to create a roux. Let the roux cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the chicken broth, apple cider, apple brandy, Worcestershire sauce, and spices, and continue to whisk together until the roux is completely incorporated. Turn heat to medium high and continue to stir until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Place the chicken pieces into an 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Scatter the mushrooms over and around the chicken, and then pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with generously with paprika. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through – internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part of a thigh.