Creamy Apples and Chicken

From time to time, I'll pick a country and we'll have food from there for a week. Last week was French week. So among several dishes I made was this amazing one, Creamy Apples and Chicken. The silky mushrooms combined with the cream and slightly sweet apples, served over rice, was an instant hit with my family. Win-win.

Ingredients:

flour, for dredging

salt and pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved (I halved these the long way to make the breasts skinnier so they would cook faster)

2 T butter

2 T olive oil

1 large apple or 2 small

1 medium onion, finely chopped

8 mushrooms

1/3 C chicken broth

2 T apple juice/cider

2/3 C heavy cream

Peel and dice the apple(s).

Clean the mushrooms with a paper towel.

Stem the mushrooms. Slice them and then cut them in half.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Pat the chicken pieces dry and dredge in the flour.

Put a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon each butter and oil. When the butter is melted, slip the chicken pieces into the pan. 

Cook for three minutes to brown, and then flip them over and cook another three minutes.

Add the rest of the butter and oil. Clear a spot in the pan and add the onions, apples, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Coat the fruit and veggies with the butter and oil until they are glossy.

Mix the additions with the chicken and cook for 1 minute.

Add the broth.When the broth bubbles, lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for ten minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Turn the heat up again, add the apple cider, and simmer for 1 minute. Add the cream and keep the heat on until the cream reduces by about a fourth (about five minutes).

Serve with rice and vegetables!

Tastefully,

Tamara

Amazing Chicken Mushroom Noodle soup

Tonight's dinner was an awesome success, which makes me so happy. We had soup and salad. Great combo! And everyone had seconds (except the 2yo) and hubby even finished off the salad!

Isn't that a beautiful bowl? I love them. Soup in one part, crackers or bread in another.

Tonight I was making good use of the mushrooms, carrots, and celery from my basket. 

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 lb. chicken breast, diced

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 small mushrooms, cleaned, sliced or chopped

5 C chicken broth

1 tsp black pepper (this was a tad bit spicy. If in doubt, do half)

1 tsp dried thyme

5 oz. egg noodles (more or less depending on how thick you want your soup)

2 tsp dried parsley

On the mushrooms: I used Baby Bellas. I love the meaty texture of them, and even my kids ate them. And for chicken noodle soup, we like the small egg noodles that look like broken angel hair.

I cooked this entire meal in my rice cooker, which was great, but you can easily do it on a stove as well. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Add the onions and garlic and cook for four minutes or until translucent.

Aren't these carrots beautiful? They are rainbow carrots, and I'm in love.

A close up on that splendid purple carrot.

A note on peeling carrots: I don't do it. I wash them well and eat the whole thing. It doesn't matter if I'm cooking it or eating it raw. You could say I'm just lazy (I am), but I think it's unnecessary. Actually, I don't peel most vegetables. Isn't that where all the amazing vitamins are? :)

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.

I served this with crackers and an Asian salad, but bread would work well too!

The Asian salad recipe can be found in the book Going Against the Grain. I didn't alter it at all, but I was missing mandarin oranges. Thought I had a can and I didn't. :( Excellent salad though!

So are you a soup and crackers person? Or soup and bread? Or soup and salad? I'm a soup and cracker person. Crackers are total comfort food for me. What do you think?

Tastefully,

Tamara