Chicken Normandy -- The Golden Bowl Curtis Called "Not Bad"

The COVID vaccine is becoming available. Curtis is eligible first — age, health conditions. I drove him to the appointment. He sat in the chair and the nurse gave him the shot and he said, "That's it?" She said, "That's it." He said, "Hm." The "hm" of a seventy-five-year-old man who has survived a wife's death and a stroke and a pandemic and is not impressed by needles. I drove him home. He ate lunch. He fell asleep in his chair. The shot worked. The world is slowly, cautiously, returning.

The kids are cautiously optimistic. Marcus talks about going back to school in person. Jasmine talks about the county youth choir rehearsing again. Isaiah talks about basketball season. Zoe talks about art class with actual supplies instead of a screen. They are teenagers and pre-teens and they have spent a year of their lives in a pandemic and the year has both stolen and given — stolen the normalcy of adolescence, given the proximity of a blended family that might not have bonded this fast without the forced togetherness. The lockdown compressed what usually takes years into months. The dinner table every night. The shared bathroom. The fights and the truces and the cookies at midnight. COVID gave us time. The time gave us family.

Made chicken soup for Curtis — post-vaccine comfort, the simple kind, the golden broth kind that Mama made when anyone was sick or recovering or just needing to be held by a bowl. He ate it from his chair downstairs and called up to say, "Not bad." Which is Curtis for "thank you, daughter, for the soup and the vaccine appointment and the basement apartment and the twenty years of dinners and everything." Not bad. Not bad at all.

Curtis’s “not bad” is the highest praise in his vocabulary, and after a year of pandemic worry — driving him to that vaccine appointment, watching the nurse give him the shot, watching him shrug like a man who has survived everything — I wanted the meal I brought him to be worthy of the moment. Chicken Normandy felt right: it’s the kind of dish that looks humble but tastes like someone took their time, with a rich, savory warmth that says you are taken care of without making a fuss about it. It’s what Mama would have made, dressed up just enough to mark the occasion.

Chicken Normandy

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium apples (Granny Smith or Fuji), peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider or dry white wine
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Sear until golden. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken skin-side down and cook without moving for 6–8 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and releases easily. Flip and cook another 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the same pan. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add the apples. Add sliced apples to the pan and stir gently to coat in the pan drippings. Cook for 3 minutes until they begin to soften at the edges.
5. Deglaze. Pour in the apple cider or wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
6. Braise the chicken. Add chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Nestle the seared chicken thighs back into the pan skin-side up. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover partially, and cook for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature 165°F).
7. Finish the sauce. Remove chicken and bay leaf. Stir in heavy cream and Dijon mustard. Simmer uncovered for 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning.
8. Serve. Return chicken to the pan to warm through. Spoon sauce and apples generously over each piece and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 31g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 520mg