I have finally succumb to pressure from Chris Kimball of America’s Test Kitchen to get a cast iron frying pan.

So now I have my new toy, I need a recipe to try it out, and what better than a classic ATK skillet chicken, where you fry chicken breasts in a cast iron pan, then use the juices and fond to make a pan sauce.

Browsing through their many variations on this theme I found this Normandy version which uses apples in the sauce, which will be a great way to use up some of the garden apples that are stating to come in.

Things didn’t start well. The chicken breasts I ordered from Sainsbury’s were clearly pictured as skin on, and looked like bone in. What was delivered was neither.

Thankfully a walk to the local butchers got me the skin on, bone in chicken breasts I needed, and the Sainsbury’s ones have gone in the freezer to be used when I need lean chicken breast.

I’m going to use the pan sauce to coat some pasta I’ve boiled up, rather than going for potatoes, as I’ve got other plans for the last of the garden potatoes and the cast iron pan for tomorrow’s brunch!

First up: mise en place for the veg and sauce.

 

Then cut the chicken breasts “crosswise” – AKA butterfly it.

And later remember to season.

Heat up the new pan with oil, and fry skin-side down.

Oohhh that looks good.

Anyway, once the skin is nicely coloured, turn and cover to finish cooking.

Then tent while the pan sauce is made.

So onions from the garden, plus garlic from the garden, plus apples… from the garden, soften up.

Then cream, cider vinegar, Calvados, thyme and seasoning go in to make the sauce, and pasta gets added.

OK time to eat!

Whoah! This chicken has taste! That’s never happened to me before. Add to that an amazing pan sauce for the pasta… Wow.

OK I’m not sure it’s the cast iron pan is the cause of all this, but I’ll be doing this method of chicken again in my new pan!