Recipes Braised Chicken with Apples and Calvados 5.0 (2,404) Add your rating & review Chef Matthew Accarrino uses apples plus cider and the apple brandy Calvados to add layers of flavor to his braised chicken. Slideshow: Great Braising Recipes By Matthew Accarrino Matthew Accarrino Matthew Accarrino is a professional chef and athlete with more than two decades in the kitchen and restaurant business. He has authored a cookbook and currently helms the kitchen at Michelin-starred SPQR in San Francisco. He is also a competitive cyclist and balances the two passions of cooking and athleticism.Expertise: Italian cooking, pasta, recipes, cooking, healthy eating, athletic diets.Experience: Matthew Accarrino is a nationally recognized professional chef and athlete based in San Francisco. Born in the Midwest and raised on the East Coast, he moved west to California in 2007. He had originally hoped to become a professional cyclist until a leg injury turned his passion for cooking into a career. Matthew's unique culinary style draws inspiration from his Italian heritage, personal experience, and classical training with some of America's best chefs. In the kitchen, Matthew takes full advantage of the bounty of opportunities California ingredients present. This includes a quality focused approach to direct sourcing, producing, and at times playing a role in the creation of his ingredients. The result is an intensely personal cuisine that is both technically polished and soulful, which has garnered critical praise. Under his direction, SPQR has been awarded a coveted Michelin star for nearly a decade. He has multiple James Beard Best Chef nominations, and Food & Wine named him a Best New Chef in 2014. Matthew co-authored and released his first book, SPQR: Modern Italian Food and Wine (Ten Speed Press) in October 2012. When not in the kitchen at SPQR, Matthew can be found training on his bicycle or on the road cooking for culinary, charity, or cycling events. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 17, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Con Poulos Active Time: 45 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms—stems discarded, caps sliced 1/4 inch thick Salt Freshly ground pepper One 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 large shallots, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1/4 cup Calvados 2 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup apple cider 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds Pinch of crushed red pepper 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces 2 tablespoons minced chives Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large, deep ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a large bowl. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken and brown the other side, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken to the mushrooms and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet. Add the chopped apples to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring a few times, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the Calvados and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken stock, cider, caraway seeds and crushed red pepper and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, skin side up, along with any accumulated juices. Braise the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the breast meat is just cooked. Transfer the breast pieces to a large ovenproof platter. Continue braising the remaining chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Add to the platter and keep warm. Boil the pan juices and apples over moderately high heat until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in the butter, 1 piece at a time. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and add half of the chives. Spoon the sauce over and around the chicken. Garnish with the remaining chives and serve. Suggested Pairing The herbal and spice notes of a Loire Cabernet Franc make it a terrific wine match. Rate it Print