Slow cooker chicken with a cider cream sauce

This is a fairly simple and short post. I don't make casserole type dishes often, so when the mood strikes me, I feel I have to record it just for prosperity. A little non alcoholic peach cider was combined with some herbs, garlic and chicken broth to create a Summery dish full of sweetness and tang. The organic chicken that I bought was tiny. For $16, you'd expect something with a little more girth, but this chicken was on the cute side, Realtors would call it compact. The legs had enough meat to sustain, which was good because the breasts certainly didn't.

Recipe : slow cooked chicken casserole

If you don't have a slow cooker, don't despair, this can just as easily putter away on the stove top.

The chicken is first fried with a flour coating to help thicken the sauce and create a caramelised, savoury crust on the chicken.

2 chicken legs and 2 breasts, (preferably organic with skin)

3 tbsp all purpose flour mixed with 1/2 tsp salt, a few good twists of black pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika and 2 good pinches of fennel pollen, (optional)

1 tbsp oil and 2 tsp butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped roughly

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped into chunks

6 asparagus stalks, snapped free of their woody stems and cut in half length ways

6 mushrooms, quartered

1 small bottle of alcoholic or non alcoholic cider, peach or apple

1/4 cup chicken broth or 2 tsp of chicken broth concentrate or 1 chicken stock cube

2 bay leaves
a few sprigs of rosemary

1/2 - 1 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp sour cream

First, thoroughly dry the chicken pieces and coat in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over medium - high heat and fry the chicken, skin side down until deep golden brown, turn over and brown the underside.

Transfer the chicken either to a slow cooker or a casserole type pan. 

Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan containing the chicken juices and crusty bits and fry over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring and scraping the pan. The onion and pepper should start to brown on the edges. Be careful not to burn the crusty bits. Add the cider and stir everything well. This will loosen all those flavourful crispy bits which will help with the flavour. Pour everything from the pan into the slow cooker or casserole containing the chicken.

Add the asparagus, mushrooms, stock, rosemary and bay leaves, stir and cover. If using a slow cooker, cook on high for one hour then reduce to low and continue to cook for one hour more or up to 3 hours, (by which time the chicken should be falling from the bone). If using a casserole, cook over low heat for about 2 hours. 

Check the chicken is cooked, taste the sauce and season with the salt and pepper. 

Before serving, remove the chicken from the sauce and place on a baking dish. Grill (broil) under a preheated hot grill for about 10 minutes until the skin is brown and crispy, (the liquid will have made it a bit limp). 

Add the sour cream to the casserole sauce and stir well. You may need to reduce the sauce slightly if it is too watery. Simply boil rapidly while the chicken crisps until you are happy with the consistency. (If you have used a slow cooker, you will need to transfer the sauce to a pan on the hob to do this). 

Plate the chicken pieces and spoon the sauce over the top.

We ate baked potatoes with butter, salt and cheese as an accompaniment, but mash or rice would be good to soak up the creamy sauce.

Note: cooking the asparagus for such a long time does make them fairly soft and almost falling apart. I quite liked them like this, but I know most people would call it sacrilegious at this time of year. If you like your asparagus cooked less, simply add them with the sour cream at the end to cook just enough to retain their crispness.

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