Delia Smith Chicken in Cider Recipe

This Delia Smith chicken in cider recipe is from The Delia Collection: Chicken, and it is the kind of autumn casserole that fills the kitchen with a smell so good you end up eating it straight from the pot. A whole jointed chicken simmers gently in a pint of dry cider with bacon, mushrooms, and thyme for about an hour, then the sauce gets thickened with a flour and butter paste at the end.

I always make this when the evenings start getting dark and the supermarkets put out their first crates of English cider, because something about the combination of chicken, bacon, and apples just says October to me.

More Chicken Recipes:

• Chicken Casserole
• Chicken Chasseur
• Coq au Vin

Why Cider Works Better Than Wine Here

Wine-based braises like coq au vin and chasseur give you a deep, concentrated sauce, but cider does something different because the apple sweetness balances the salty bacon in a way that wine cannot. It is lighter, fruitier, and the sauce has a golden colour instead of the dark red or brown you get from wine.

Use proper dry cider, not the sweet stuff, because sweet cider makes the sauce cloying after a full hour of simmering.

Chicken in Cider Ingredients

This recipe serves 4 and calls for a whole chicken jointed into 8 pieces. Eight bone-in thighs work just as well if you do not want to joint a bird, and the dark meat handles the long simmer even better than breast does.

• 1.35 kg (3 lb) chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
• 570 ml (1 pint) dry cider
• 2 tablespoons groundnut or flavourless oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 6 rashers unsmoked streaky bacon
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 225g (8 oz) dark-gilled mushrooms, sliced
• 25g (1 oz) plain flour mixed with 25g (1 oz) softened butter to make a paste
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper

How To Make Delia Smith Chicken in Cider

1. Brown the chicken: Get the oil smoking hot in a large lidded casserole, season the chicken joints, and fry them in two batches until golden brown all over, then set them aside on a plate.
2. Fry the onions and bacon: Add the onions and garlic to the pan and fry for about 5 minutes, then toss in the bacon rashers and let them cook until the fat starts to melt a little.
3. Build the braise: Return the chicken to the casserole, throw in the thyme and bay leaf, and pour in the cider. Bring it to a simmer, put the lid on, and let the whole thing cook gently for an hour.
4. Add the mushrooms: After an hour, add the sliced mushrooms and simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes until they are cooked through.
5. Thicken the sauce: Lift the chicken onto a warm serving dish. Drop the flour and butter paste into the liquid in small pieces, whisking as you go, and bring back to a simmer until the sauce thickens. Pour it over the chicken and serve.

What Goes With It

Crisp buttered jacket potatoes and spiced red cabbage is what I always serve alongside, because the crunch of the potato skin and the sharpness of the cabbage cut through the rich cider sauce perfectly. Mashed potato works too if you want something simpler.

Keeping It for Later

Like most braises it tastes even better the next day once the sauce has thickened overnight and the flavours have had time to settle into the meat. Reheat gently on the hob with the lid on. Freezes well for 3 months, though the mushrooms soften a bit after thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

You Might Also Like:

• Chicken Cacciatore
• Tarragon Chicken
• Chicken and Leek Pie

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 520 kcal
• Fat: 28g
• Carbohydrates: 12g
• Fibre: 2g
• Protein: 42g

Nutrition estimated per serving based on 4 servings.