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Chicken Fricassee with Apple for Two

By Jessica Rudolph

Published on October 15, 2019

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 2

Chicken Fricassee with Apple for Two

Ingredients

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed¾ teaspoon table salt, divided½ teaspoon pepper, divided2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 Fuji, Gala, or Braeburn apple, unpeeled, cored and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges¾ cup chopped onion ½ cup apple cider 2 sprigs fresh thyme ¼ cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon cider vinegar 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh chives

Before You Begin

If you use chicken breasts that weigh more than 8 ounces, your cooking times will be different and you run the risk of overreducing the apple cider. You can substitute apple juice if apple cider is unavailable, though the resulting sauce will be less rich.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread flour in shallow dish.
  2. Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge chicken in flour to coat, shake to remove excess, and add to skillet. Place apple cut side down in skillet around chicken. Cook, flipping apple as needed, until evenly browned on cut sides and chicken is golden brown on bottom, about 5 minutes.
  3. Flip chicken. Leaving chicken and apple in skillet, add onion, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and browned, about 4 minutes.
  4. Add cider and thyme sprigs to skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken registers 160 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes.
  5. Transfer chicken to platter. Add cream to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to boil. Cook until sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and any accumulated chicken juices. Discard thyme sprigs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce and apple over chicken and sprinkle with chives. Serve.
Chicken Fricassee with Apple for Two
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Catrine Kelty.

Chicken Fricassee with Apple for Two

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Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Fuji, Gala, or Braeburn apple, unpeeled, cored and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
¾ cup chopped onion
½ cup apple cider
2 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh chives

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Fuji, Gala, or Braeburn apple, unpeeled, cored and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
¾ cup chopped onion
½ cup apple cider
2 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh chives

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Fuji, Gala, or Braeburn apple, unpeeled, cored and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
¾ cup chopped onion
½ cup apple cider
2 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh chives

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Chicken fricassee is a traditional country-style preparation in which chicken pieces are lightly sauteed, braised, and then served with a creamy sauce made from the braising liquid. For a modern take, we added apples to the mix—their sweet, fruity acidity cut through the rich cream sauce and added complexity and interest. To start, we browned two flour-dredged boneless skinless chicken breasts in some butter alongside thick-cut apple wedges. Adding onion, thyme, and apple cider created a sweet and savory braising liquid. Reducing the liquid with cream at the end produced a lush, velvety sauce, and a splash of cider vinegar provided a bright finish.

Before You Begin

If you use chicken breasts that weigh more than 8 ounces, your cooking times will be different and you run the risk of overreducing the apple cider. You can substitute apple juice if apple cider is unavailable, though the resulting sauce will be less rich.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread flour in shallow dish.
  2. Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge chicken in flour to coat, shake to remove excess, and add to skillet. Place apple cut side down in skillet around chicken. Cook, flipping apple as needed, until evenly browned on cut sides and chicken is golden brown on bottom, about 5 minutes.
  3. Flip chicken. Leaving chicken and apple in skillet, add onion, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and browned, about 4 minutes.
  4. Add cider and thyme sprigs to skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken registers 160 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes.
  5. Transfer chicken to platter. Add cream to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to boil. Cook until sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and any accumulated chicken juices. Discard thyme sprigs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce and apple over chicken and sprinkle with chives. Serve.

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