West Country Pot Roast Chicken with apples and cider

Serves 6-8

December: West Country Pot-Roast Chicken with apples & cider

A lovely heartwarming pot roast which makes good use of cider and stored apples. From Diana Henry's wonderful book entitled, "Roast Figs, Sugar Snow".

Ingredients

30g butter 1.75kg chicken 200g bacon or pancetta, diced 2 onions, cut into half moon slices 300ml dry cider salt and pepper 4 sprigs fresh rosemary 3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges (preferably dessert but use what you have stored) a little granulated sugar 150ml double cream 2 tsp Djoin mustard (optional)

Step One

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Melt half the butter in a large heavy bottomed casserole dish with a lid where the chicken will fit snugly. Season the chicken and then brown on all sides using wooden spoons to prevent piercing the chicken.

Step Two

Carefully remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, cook the onions and bacon/pancetta until soft and buttery. Put the chicken back in the pot on top of the onion/bacon mix and add the cider. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Season and add the rosemary and cover the pot. Put in the oven for 1.5 hours.

Step 3

When it has cooked, the juices will run clear between the leg and the main body of the chicken when pierced at the thickest part. While waiting for teh bird to finish cooking, saute the apples in the remaining butter until tender, sprinkling with some sigar to make then sweet and help to colour them. When the chicken is cooked, careflly remove it from the pan, cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven. Bring the juices in the pan to the boil and add the cream and mustard. Boil until you have a sauce that will just coat the back of a spoon. Add the apples. Serve the chicken either whole or jointed with the sauce.