Braised Chicken With Apples And Pears Food

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS AND APPLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degree F. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, deep ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet skin-side down and cook, flipping once, until golden on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium, add the thyme and leeks to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook until the skillet is nearly dry. Stir in the broth, apple cider and a pinch each of salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
• Use a fork to mash the butter and flour together in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk the butter-flour mixture into the skillet until dissolved. Stir in the apples and remove from the heat. Nestle the chicken skin-side up in the skillet along with any collected juices from the plate. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN & PEARS

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until a thermometer reads 165°, 8-10 minutes. Remove., Meanwhile, stir together next 5 ingredients until blended. Pour into skillet; add pears and dried cherries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until pears are tender, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet; simmer, uncovered, until heated through, 3-5 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional minced rosemary.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND SAGE

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken well, starting with skin sides down and turning over once, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet.
• Add butter, brown sugar, apples, and shallots to fat in skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add broth, vinegar, and sage and deglaze skillet by boiling, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, 1 minute. Return chicken, skin sides up, to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate. Reduce heat and simmer, loosely covered with foil, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly reduced, 20 to 25 minutes.

CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute onion until tender. Add pears and brown sugar; cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in vinaigrette and thyme., Return chicken to skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-6 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Serve with chicken.

ROSEMARY-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray the top and bottom parts of a broiler pan with cooking spray.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and add onion slices. Sprinkle onions with 1 teaspoon salt and saute for 2 minutes. Add sugar and continue cooking until onions are translucent but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Layer apples, potatoes, and sauteed onion slices in the bottom part of the broiler pan. Cover with the part top of the broiler pan.
• Drizzle olive oil over chicken thighs. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper. Rub olive oil and spices thoroughly all over each thigh and place on the top part of the broiler pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 1 hour. Serve apples, potatoes, and onion alongside chicken thighs.

BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH APPLES AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a deep oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs to the hot oil and cook until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm.
• Add sliced onions to the skillet and saute until they just start to brown, about 3 minutes. Pour in apple cider and chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Stir in thyme and salt. Simmer until the onions are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• Add chicken back to the skillet and spoon some sauce over the top. Arrange sliced apples around the chicken. Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove skillet from the oven and carefully uncover. Transfer chicken from the skillet to a plate and keep warm. Whisk heavy cream and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Stir gently into the sauce in the skillet. Place chicken back into the skillet and spoon some of the sauce over the chicken.
• Return skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 15 minutes more. Serve chicken and apples with the sauce.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND PEARS

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry. Season with salt & pepper.
• Peel & core the apples and pears. Slice them into sixths or eights.
• Chop some fresh marjoram for garnish.
• Preheat your oven to 350° F.
• In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter. When hot but not smoking, brown the chicken pieces a few at a time being sure not to crowd the pan with too many pieces or they will steam. Depending on the size of the pan, you may have to do this in batches.
• When all sides are browned, remove the chicken from the pan and transfer it to a plate to reserve. Pour out most of the butter/oil fat from the pan, but leave about 1 tablespoon for browning the apples and pears.
• Over medium-high heat, cook the pears and apples for about 4 minutes. Transfer the pears and apples to another plate to reserve.
• Add the cider to the pan to deglaze. Bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any bits of browned chicken from the pan. This stuff is called fond or sucs.
• Add the mustard and using a spoon or whisk, stir the mustard into the cider.
• Return the chicken pieces along with any juices that may have leaked out back to the pan.
• Add the marjoram sprigs, cover and place the pan into the oven on the middle rack.
• I didn't have a sauté pan big enough for all the chicken pieces so for this step, I transferred everything to my Le Creuset Dutch Oven, one of my favorite pieces of cookware.
• After 10 minutes in the oven, I added the apple and pear slices to the pot and continued braising for another 30 to 40 minutes. The meat was so tender it was about to fall off the bone.
• I carefully removed the chicken and fruit to a plate with a slotted spoon, removed and threw out the marjoram sprigs and started the hardest part to this recipe - defatting. There's just no easy way to get rid of the fat that comes off the chicken. I've tried those defatting gadgets, paper towels but nothing really works so well that it removes the fat and isn't messy.
• If you have the time and don't have to serve this up as soon as it's finished, I highly recommend you transfer the liquid to a small bowl or plastic container let it cool and then place in the refrigerator over night.The next day you'll have a layer of fat on top that you can easily remove and be left with nothing but incredibly flavored braising liquid. When I made this, I didn't have the luxury of time so I defatted by hand and made the best of it.
• I transferred the liquid to a saucepan, brought it to a boil and then reduced the heat to medium, added the half and half and continued reducing until the sauce was my desired consistency.I could have made a roux (fat and flour) to thicken the sauce, but I think you get much better flavor by reduction.
• To serve, plate the chicken, top with a little sauce and sprinkle a little of the chopped marjoram on top. This is one delicious meal and even better if you let it sit for a day before serving.

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND KALE

Steps:

• Arrange rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Season chicken all over with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper, then rub with 1/4 cup mustard, making sure to get mustard under skin.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large heatproof high-sided skillet or heavy braising pan over medium-high. Sear chicken, skin side down, until golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Turn chicken, then arrange apples and onion around chicken. Add wine and 1 cup cider, then transfer to oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 cup cider, 1 Tbsp. oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large pot over medium; add kale, cover, and cook until wilted. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, divide kale among plates.
• Transfer chicken, apples, and onion to plates with a slotted spoon. Heat remaining liquid in skillet over high. Add cream and remaining 1 tsp. mustard and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
• Spoon sauce alongside chicken and kale. Garnish with tarragon, if desired.

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH APPLES AND GREENS

Steps:

• Pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
• In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Cook the chicken thighs skin-side down, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pot, turn the heat to medium-low, then add the shallots and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
• Add the cider, cider vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the cider has reduced slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, skin-side up. Pour just enough broth around (not on!) the chicken to cover the sides of the thighs but not cover the skin on top.
• Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Partly cover and gently simmer until the thighs are cooked through and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate or sheet pan (if you'd like to broil the chicken in the next step), raise the heat to medium, and add the kale and apple to the pot. Cook, tossing often, until all the kale is wilted, the apples are just softened and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. While the greens cook, if you'd like to crisp the skin on the chicken, pop it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Taste for seasoning, and stir in 1 or 2 more teaspoons cider vinegar to taste. Divide the chicken and kale mixture among shallow bowls; serve with crusty bread to mop up broth.

APPLE BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, warm oil over high heat.
• Toss chicken with flour in a medium bowl, patting off excess.
• Place chicken in skillet and brown well on both sides.
• Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
• Reduce stove temperature to low and add onion to skillet.
• Sauté, stirring often, until onion is tender and lightly browned.
• Stir in apples, cider, chicken broth, salt, ginger and chicken.
• Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken, onions and apples to a serving dish.
• In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 to 3 Tbs of pan juices.
• Combine cornstarch mixture with remaining pan juices, whisking constantly.
• Simmer for one minute.
• Pour sauce over chicken and serve.
• Yields 1 chicken breast and about 3/4 cup of apple-onion mixture per serving.