Chicken Cutlets with Apples in Cider Sauce

Chickens

By Cat, Oct 2000 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

Years ago in the 1970s, I came up with a recipe using chicken cutlets in an apple cider sauce, but I’ve long since lost that recipe. This one comes close to how I remember it.

This recipe is adapted from the Daily Inter Lake newspaper, October 10, 2000. It is a very quick and easy dish to fix, and has great flavor, with the combination of apples and onions. It is similar to my Chicken Normande recipe.

See also Brining Chicken; Preparing Chicken or Other Cutlets;  Chicken Normande (with Apples, Brandy & Cream); Poultry & Fowl Main Course Menu, under Chicken Cutlets.

Serves 4.

Chicken Cutlets with Apples in Cider Sauce

Ingredients & Equipment:

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 2 Granny Smith, Jonathan or Cortland apples
• 1 small onion
• 2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil or lard, in divided portions
• 1/2 cup white flour or starch
• Unrefined Sea Salt, to taste (if you don’t brine the breasts)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup fresh/frozen homemade apple cider
• 3/4 cup homemade Rich Chicken Stock
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup fresh cream (optional)
• Equipment
• large bowl for brining
• cast iron skillet
• large plate

Process:

1. Brine chicken and prepare cutlets (see sidebar, above for details).
2. Meanwhile, peel and core apples.  Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Peel papery skin off onion, and slice the onion thinly.  Should be about 1 cup.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
4. While oil is heating, spread flour on a large plate.  Sprinkle cutlets with salt (if not brined) and pepper, then coat both sides with the flour or starch, shaking off any excess.
5. Place cutlets from 2 breast halves in skillet, but do not crowd.  Cook about 2 minutes on each side, to brown.  Transfer to a plate.  Repeat with remaining pieces, adding more oil as needed.
6. Combine cider and broth in a measuring cup.  With skillet over medium high heat, add the apple and onion slices and about 1/3 cup of the broth mixture.  Cook about 2 minutes, stirring and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet, and allowing most of the liquid to evaporate.  Add butter, stirring to combine, then reduce heat to medium.  Cook about 10 minutes, until the apple and onion slices are tender.
7. Add remaining broth mixture, stir to combine, then return the chicken pieces to the skillet, coating all sides with the sauce, apples and onions.
8. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar.  Increase heat to medium-high so liquid comes to a boil, then reduce heat so that liquid bubbles gently around the edges.  Add cream, if using. Cook 5 minutes.  The sauce will thicken slightly and the chicken should be cooked through.
9. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Assembly or Serving Suggestions

• Spoon apple-onion mixture over the cutlets.
• I like to serve this with buttered peas, and tiny red or fingerling potatoes, tossed with butter and chopped parsley.
• You can also stir in a little raw cream right before serving.

References:

1. Daily Inter Lake newspaper, October 10, 2010