Cider-braised chicken with kale and pear salad
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Cider-braised chicken with kale and pear salad
Make the most of seasonal pears and kale with this comforting chicken dinner. Chicken legs are cooked in cider until tender, then paired with a crunchy salad
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken legs
- 3 echalion shallots
- 330ml pear cider
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 200g kale, woody stems removed
- 1½ tbsp sherry vinegar
- 50g pecans, roughly chopped
- 2 conference pears, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp lighter crème fraîche
Step by step
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Season the chicken legs, then add to a large, cold sauté pan or casserole, skin-side down. Set the heat to medium-high and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the skin is deep golden, crispy and easily releases from the pan. Set the chicken aside, then drain off most of the fat.
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Slice 2 of the shallots into chunks, then add to the chicken pan. Sauté for 2 minutes or until just softening. Pour in the cider and scrape everything off the base of the pan. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1 tablespoon of the aquafaba (chickpea liquid). Tip the chickpeas into the pan with the mustard and some seasoning. Stir to combine, then return the chicken and reduce the heat to mediumlow. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, uncovering for the final 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced a little.
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Meanwhile, put the kale in a bowl. Add the vinegar and a pinch of salt, then massage the kale for a few minutes or until deep green and tender. Thinly slice the remaining shallot, then add to the kale with the pecans, sliced pears, reserved aquafaba and a little more seasoning. Toss together. Remove the chicken legs to a plate once cooked, turn off the heat, and stir the crème fraîche through the cider sauce. Spoon the sauce into shallow serving bowls, then top with the chicken legs. Serve with the salad and extra black pepper.
