Butter chicken with sage and apple sauce

I think that if you would ask my neighbours you would find out that on Saturday they ate chicken and 80% of them ate roasted chicken! This week I was also in this group. I was brave enough to use the rest of herbs I found on my balcony (slightly frozen) and roast the chicken. Three additions, perfect taste (and those lovely herbs leaves)...

Ingredients
for each chicken portion (drumstick)
1-2 teaspoons butter
2 big or 4 small sage leaves
pinch salt
freshly ground pepper
sauce
5 fl oz (150 ml) meat sauce left after baking
7 fl oz (200 ml) apple beer (i.e. cider)
5 fl oz (150 ml) sweet cream
1 teaspoon mustard (i.e. Dijon)
optional: salt, pepper to taste


Method
Wash and dry the chicken. Gently cut the skin from each drumstick but only as much as to allow you to put your hand under. In such a ‘pocket’ place the butter, sage leaves and salt. Rub the whole drumstick with butter, season with salt and pepper. Place them in a baking dish. Bake at 360F/ 180 oC, the time depends on the chicken size: i.e. for about 1,5 hour (until the skin is golden brown), pour the juices from the baking dish over the chicken.

When chicken is baked, transfer the juice from the baking dish into a pan, heat it up, add chopped sage leaves, mustard, sweet cream and beer. Boil on a low heat until the sauce gets thick. Season with salt and pepper.