Somerset Chicken Recipe with Cider and Cheddar Cheese

Somerset chicken in a cider, cheddar cheese and cream sauce served with mini roast potatoes.

Somerset Chicken Recipe with Cider and Cheddar Cheese

My take on Somerset chicken, a recipe that leverages some of the finest ingredients from the west country including scrumpy cider, apples and mature cheddar cheese. This is an indulgent belly filling dish that tastes fantastic!

Course Main Course

Cuisine British

Keyword chicken in cider and cream, chicken in cider sauce, somerset chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 5

Servings Servings

Calories 1087kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

2 Skin-On Chicken Legs 550-600g total
1 Small-Medium Onion 125g
150 g Mushrooms 1½-2 Cups
18-24 Sage Leaves 3 tablespoon
½ tablespoon Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Flour
250 ml Dry Cider 1 Cup
125 ml Chicken Stock ½ Cup
2 tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard
½ tablespoon Prepared English Mustard
1 Medium-Large Apple 175g
100 g Mature Cheddar Cheese 1 Cup
75 ml Double Cream ⅓ Cup
½ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Season the chicken with the salt and set it aside.
Cut the onion in half, peel it and then cut it into a 4-5mm (¼") dice.
Slice the mushrooms into 4-5mm (¼") strips.
Finely shred the the sage leaves.
Heat a 25cm or 10" frying pan over a medium high heat, add the cooking oil and the butter, then brown the chicken on all sides, then remove and set aside. This will take 4-6 minutes.
Return the pan to a medium heat, add the onions and sliced mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes without adding any colour.
Sprinkle in the flour and add the shredded sage, cook for 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour.
Turn the heat up to high and add the cider, bring it to a boil and cook it hard for 4-5 minutes stirring a couple of times. This should thicken considerably in this time.
Reduce the heat to low, pour in the chicken stock, add the wholegrain and English mustard, stir to combine. Have a taste here and add a little salt if required, but remember we are adding cheese later.
Return the chicken to the pan, add a lid and simmer for 18-20 minutes over a low heat.
Remove the lid, and set aside the chicken. By now it should have reached an internal temperature of at least 68°C or 155°F. Now is a good time to heat your grill (broiler), set it as high as it will go!
Turn the heat up a little so that the sauce is just bubbling. Core and peel the apple, then cut it into a 1cm (just under ½") dice, then stir it through the sauce.
Add the cream and a quarter to a third (25-33g) of the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese has melted and formed a nice sauce, have a taste here and add more salt if required.
Return the chicken to the pan, coating it with a little of the sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and then slide the pan under the grill until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.

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