© J Sainsbury plc 2020
Photo: Laura Edwards
Chicken stewed in cider and apples
'My inspiration for this dish, as with many of my recipes, came from seeing the ingredients together', says José Pizarro. 'When we were in Astarbe in a beautiful cider house, I saw the chickens hopping around the apple trees, and that was it!'
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Ready in 1 hour 50 minutes
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Cooking time 1 hour 40 minutes
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Prep time 10 minutes
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Serves 6 people
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 free-range chicken (1.8–2 kg)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and halved
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 sage leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 500ml cider
- 400ml fresh chicken stock
- 25g unsalted butter
- 3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 8 pieces
- 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
- 75g sultanas
Method
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1
Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, Gas 3.
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2
Heat a layer of oil in a large casserole dish. Season the chicken inside and out and brown all over in the casserole dish. Set aside and put the halved apple inside the cavity.
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3
Add the onions to the casserole and fry for 10 minutes to soften. Return the chicken to the pan and add the herbs and cinnamon.
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4
Pour in the cider and bubble for a few minutes, then add the stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and transfer to the oven to cook for 1 hour.
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5
Meanwhile, heat a little oil and the butter and fry the rest of the apples with the sugar until golden and caramelised. Add the sultanas and toss in the buttery juices. Add to the casserole about halfway through the cooking time.
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6
Remove the lid of the casserole and turn up the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, Gas 7. Cook for 10 minutes more to brown the top of the chicken, then serve.
