Somerset Chicken with Cheddar & Cidre |
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The Hairy Bikers are a pair of fantastic British chefs. The duo appeared on BBCs The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook. The duo's TV shows are a mixture of cookery and travelogue, using a similar format and style to that previously associated with another British chef, Keith Floyd, including the habit of frequently referring to the cameraman and other crew. Most shows feature the pair riding motorcycles, including the BMW R1200GS and F650GS. The show also features regular banter between the two stars, use of various unusual cooking locations and the use of motorbikes.
Here you can find one of my favourite recipes called Somerset Chicken which uses traditional English Cheddar and British Cider. Somerset, an english county and the home of Cheddar Cheese and also renowned for cider apples has given its name to this dish.
This recipe is from their wonderful book: The Hairy Biker's Food Tour of Britain, £20 from Weidenfeld & Nicolson. The Hairy Biker's Food Tour of Britain is available from Amazon | 
A photograph of the hairy bikers from their website: www.HairyBikers.com |
The Hairy Bikers have given us some recipes from their new 'Food Tour of Britain' series. This traditional recipe uses Cheddar cheese and cider so serve it with baked potatoes to mop up the juices.
Serves: 6
6 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
3tbsp olive oil
75g butter
2 onions, sliced
4tbsp plain flour
2tbsp grain mustard
2 dessert apples, peeled and sliced into batons
110g button mushrooms, sliced
250ml chicken stock
300ml cider
250ml double cream
1tbsp finely chopped sage leaves
300g Cheddar cheese, grated
6 baked potatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C or gas 6. Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper.
2. Heat a large saute pan and add 2tbsp of the oil and 50g of the butter.
3. Fry the chicken breasts in batches for 1-2 mins on each side until golden. Put them into a deep-sided oven tray and roast for 25 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Add the remaining butter and oil to the pan and cook the onions for 4-5 mins until softened but not coloured. Add the flour and mustard to the pan and cook for another 2 mins. Add the apples and button mushrooms and cook for 1 min. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil, then pour in the cider. Bring back to the boil and cook for 5 mins. Add the cream and sage, cook for another 5 mins, then season with salt and black pepper.
5. Take the chicken out of the oven and pour the sauce into the dish to cover the chicken completely. Preheat the grill to high. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken and place under the grill for 5 mins until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbling. Serve with jacket potatoes topped with a knob of butter
This recipe can also be found on GoodToKnow.co.uk - another great site for recipes. |
