Apple Chicken

This is a very simple, inexpensive, and elegant preparation for chicken. The secret is to pound the chicken thin and then not overcook it. Overcooking it will toughen the texture. Mr. P loves this:

3 apples (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or MacIntosh, or a combination)
1/2 lemon
2 tbspns unsalted butter
1 tbspn sugar
2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 tspn salt

1. Core apples, peel them and cut them into 1/4 inch slices. Rub them with the lemon to prevent discoloration.
2. Melt 1 tbspn butter in a skillet and saute the apples over medium-low heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle them with sugar, raise the heat and cook over high-heat until lightly browned on all sides, shaking the pan constantly to prevent the apple slices from sticking. Set the apples aside.
3. Rinse the chicken well and pat it dry. Cut each chicken breast in hafl along the breastbone line. Remove the fillets (the finger-size muscle on the back of each half) and reserve them for another use. Flatten each breast half with a meat pounder until thin.
4. Melt the remaining 1 tbspn butter in a large skillet. Raise the heat, add the chicken, and cook until it is lightly colored, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
5. Add the onion to the skillet, cover and cook until it is tender and slightly carmelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to high, and add the vinegar. Cook the mixture down to a syrup, about 1 minute. Then whisk in the cream, stock and salt.
6. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer gently in the sauce, basting often, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the chicken is cooked, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook.
7. Remove the chicken breasts with a slotted spoon, and arrange them on heated plates (15 min. in a 200 degree oven-but not absolutely necessary). Add the apple slices to the skillet; cook over high heat until the sauce has reduced and the apples are thoroughly heated, about 1 minute.
8. Spoon the apples around the chicken and pour the sauce over it. Serve immediately.
4 servings. The New Basics Cookbook.

Roast Squash

I have two ways that I do squash. The method depends upon if my knives are sharp. If dull, I preheat the oven to 400. I wash the squash - any variety except spaghetti -much too highly overrated. With a sharp fork -usually my carving fork- I prick the squash all over like a baked potato. I put it in the oven to roast until fork tender 45 min. to 1 hour depending on size. Then I remove them and slit them open carefully as there is a ton of steam. After a few minutes I scoop out the seeds and strings and throw them away. Then I scoop out the flesh and place into a saucepan. I add butter and either brown sugar or maple syrup, depending on my mood, salt and pepper and blend.

If my knives are sharp, preheat the oven. Wash, peel and cut up squash, removing seeds and strings, into 1 inch chunks. Melt butter and add brown sugar or maple syrup to taste, mix well. Spread the squash on a cooking sheet with sides and pour the butter mixture over it. Toss the squash with your hands until well coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and roast in oven until tender, about 45 minutes.

Brussel sprouts, washed and with an X cut into the bottom of each stem, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a baking sheet with sides and roasted at 400 for about 45 minutes also are nice with this dish.

A cranberry dessert is the perfect finish. I'll post my Nantucket Pie recipe next week.

Mrs. P

Comments

[Mandingo Jones]

Dean Martin says: a drop or two of Calvados would be super in there too and you can flambe!!!

Ted Kennedy says: Oh, and Mandingo made some scrod chowda today with a very LIBERAL pour of dry sherry.

[Mandingo Jones]

Mrs. P, you are so right about not cooking it too long because of the chicken getting tough.

What about using chicken thighs or a whole cut up chicken with the bone-in and then coated with a light dusting of wondera flour? Would that work. I usually find when I don't cut out the bones that the chicken will be jucier.

Still, your dish sounds dreamy. It's like culinary alchemy!

[Mrs. Peperium]

I love fish chowder.

Chicken on the bone is always going to have much more flavor as dark meat will always have more. Sure, mess around with the cut of chicken and when has a light dusting of flour ever hurt anyone?

I was coated in spun sugar last night...

[Mandingo Jones]

Mrs. P says:
"I was coated in spun sugar last night..."

By accident, choice, or curse?
The Lady of Shallot comes to mind - she is wrapped around in some spun thread.

http://charon.sfsu.edu/tennyson/images/illustrations/Lady%20of%20Shalott/Hunt_Moxon_shalott.jpg

[Mrs. Peperium]

I made over a 100 spools of cotton candy.

[Mandingo Jones]

Mrs. P you should have a food/cooking blog - the first culturally conservative food blog - most food bloggers that I know are libs.

[The Maximum Leader]

You know, I do a similar dish to your Chicken and apple one. Except mine includes a few strips of crispy bacon (crumbled) added into the sauce.

I do another chicken & apple dish without a proper sauce. Grilled chicken breast (pounded thin) then topped with sauteed apples, crumbled bacon, and gouda. Both variations on a theme...

[Mrs. Peperium]

Wow.

Your reminding me of how nice pancetta is this time of year. Even nicer with some Madeira.

[Mandingo Jones]

What about some chicken breasts or nuggets thinly passed through corn starch, or a little flour, sauteed in butter till golden, shallots, white grapes halved, sherry, heavy cream? It is a sensuous & sublime dish, minced parsley on top over curried rice. Invented by the late Pierre Franey of the NYT (no one is perfect) A nice Rhine wine and asparagus ala vingerte, a crisp sallet of lettuce with blue cheese, a mango ice cream scoop to close?

[Debbie]

I forgot to tell you, I cooked your pork stuffed chicken recips a few posts back. Yum Yum. I may have to try this one now. Thanks for sharing.

[Mrs. Peperium]

Mandingo, you have the NYTimes 60 Minute Gourmet, don't you? That's a wonderful cookbook. One of my first favorites.

I'm glad you liked it Debbie.

[Mandingo Jones]

Mrs. P:

Yes, I have that one - it is dog eared and held together with tape and food stains from 1985, but still with us. It was my mom's from the early 80s and I have it now. My mom in Miami makes the grapes chicken thing for my country cousins - they have been introduced to good eating.

See, some things from the NYT (hiss, hiss) are not so bad...

[Old Dominion Tory]

Thanks for the recipes, Mrs. Peperium! I'll be sure to make them both this week.
Cheers!