Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples is a one pot less than 30 minute French dinner with caramelized leeks, roasted gala apples, braised in a delicious creamy brandy apple cider sauce.
Why We Love Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples
Bring on the apple season! Who says apples only belong in a pie or in a dessert? We love the slightly sweet and savory combination of apples with protein. Completely addictive. Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples may also be known as Chicken Normandy or Poulet Vallée D’Auge and other names. A delicious recipe from the Western Northern portion of France, Normandy.
You are going to fall in love Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples. Super creamy tender chicken with the essence of thyme, leeks, apple brandy and apple cider is killer good. Savory, sweet, aromatic, creamy and oh sooo good. We served our Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples with a side of sautéed green beans. This dinner was on our table in just under 30 minutes. Great weeknight dinner or even a nice meal with friends. This dish is so easy, it practically cooks itself.
If you are looking for more delicious chicken recipes, you may like to try our Savory Herb Roasted Whole Chicken , Feta Baked Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes or our Chorizo and Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts.
Normandy is Delicious!
Normandy is known for many delicious items such as apples, apple cider, apple brandy (calvados) and of course butter and cheese. We have made our Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples two ways; traditional and a non-dairy option for those that don’t tolerate dairy well. Both options are gluten-free.
Million and Three Ways to Enjoy the Humble Apple...
Autumn is our favorite time of the year. Do you love sweater weather, changing leaves and super easy harvest meals? You are in luck. Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples has tender chicken, aromatic herbs, tasty apples and you cook everything in one pan. Easy cleanup and that is a very good thing. If you like the combination of savory apples be sure to try our Meat Lover's Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash and Spiced Cranberry Glazed Ham and Baked Apples.
Visiting the apple orchards and getting fresh apple cider and hot donuts is the highlight of the autumn season. We may have over done it with buying a whole bushel but now we have enough apples to make dessert like our apple pie pot stickers, easy peasy Baked Apples, Apple Pie and Chewy Caramel Apple Pie Cookies.
If you a looking a true French dessert to finish off your meal be sure to try this Pear Tartin Tarte Poires et Amandes from our dear friend, Sylvie. Flaky crust, delicately sweet and perfect with an afternoon cuppa.
Substitutions and Dietary Options
We used chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts only because we have picky eaters in the family but also fabulous with chicken thighs. Simply divine. We used leeks as we had these on hand but also delicious with caramelized onions or shallots. We are all about use what you have on hand. How about you?
Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples is super delicious with real cream and butter but if your dairy intolerant we have a quick and delicious idea for you. You can cook everything together until the very end. However, instead of adding cream just before braising we added a dairy alternative like an almond milk. We, then made a little corn starch slurry to make a delicious pan drippings gravy.
Be sure to drizzle a little of the creamy gravy over the chicken along with the apples and leeks. Happy Autumn Friends.
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Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken breasts
boneless and skinless - Salt and pepper
to taste - 3 sprigs Thyme
fresh or 1 teaspoon dried - 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 Leeks
washed well chopped both white and green sections (or can use one large onion) - 2 cloves Garlic
peeled and minced - ¼ cup Brandy (apple brandy or regular brandy) - Calvados
- ½ cup Apple cider
- ½ cup Chicken broth (gluten free if you are gluten sensitive)
- 3 Apples
small, peeled and sliced (we used gala but any firm and sweet apple will work well) - ¼ cup Heavy cream
( if dairy sensitive exchange with ¼ cup of non- dairy milk like almond milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to make a slurry) - 2 tablespoon Butter (if dairy sensitive, drizzle a little olive oil to finish the dish instead)
Instructions
- Pat your chicken dry and season with salt and pepper and thyme on both sides. Set aside.
- In a large pan, add olive oil leeks (or onions) and saute until softened and aromatic. Add the garlic. Move your leeks on to the sides of the pan and add in your chicken and brown on both sides for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove your chicken and leeks from the pan and set aside- keep warm.
- Add your brandy (or apple brandy like Calvados) and deglaze the pan. Loosen all the little delicious bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the apple cider, chicken broth and apples into the pan and chicken and leek back into the pan. Simmer until the apples are fork tender, about 7-8 minutes and liquid is reduced to about half. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Dairy Option: Add heavy cream and butter to the pan and increase heat until slightly thickened and delicious.
- Non- Dairy Option – increase the heat to your pan to medium and Add non-dairy milk of choice and cornstarch together to make a slurry. Stir into pan while boiling and allow to thicken. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.
- Garnish with fresh thyme spears and enjoy!
Eha says
*smile* Ooh - this is one of my favourite chicken thigh dishes and yours looks gorgeous ! Vive la dirrerence ! I adore spring except for the regular gales and apples are probably my least favourite fruit ! That definitely cannot be said about Calvados . . . love the occasional glass and use of often for cooking . . . This may sound retro but love cooking tableside and creating some ooh and aah flames !
HWC Magazine says
Hi there dear Eha! Tableside ooh and aahs of a little calvados flames is always good but be careful with your eye brows. (smiling) Cooking with a little and a little in our glass over ice makes the cook a lot happier. Stay well and take care
Lynn Fenby says
I was looking for a chicken dish that was different from my usual. I hesitated about the apples; what a GREAT idea! This really is an item that I would expect to see in a French restaurant. It's very elegant, very unusual, but truly succulent. ( I used regular brandy.) I will make this dish when we entertain our fancy friends, it is wonderful.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Lynn. A classic French dish, but so cozy. Easy weekday recipe but fancy enough for guests for sure. Regular brandy is A-ok for this recipe or skip if you do not have, still great without.