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Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples / https://www.hwcmagazine.com
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5 from 2 votes

Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples

Skillet Creamy Chicken with Apples is a one pot less than 30 minute French dinner with caramelized leeks, roasted gala apples, braised in a delicious creamy brandy apple cider sauce.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: French
Servings: 4
Calories: 541kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken breasts
    boneless and skinless
  • Salt and pepper
    to taste
  • 3 sprigs Thyme
    fresh or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • 2 Leeks
    washed well chopped both white and green sections (or can use one large onion)
  • 2 cloves Garlic
    peeled and minced
  • ¼ cup Brandy (apple brandy or regular brandy) - Calvados
  • ½ cup Apple cider
  • ½ cup Chicken broth (gluten free if you are gluten sensitive)
  • 3 Apples
    small, peeled and sliced (we used gala but any firm and sweet apple will work well)
  • ¼ cup Heavy cream
    ( if dairy sensitive exchange with ¼ cup of non- dairy milk like almond milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to make a slurry)
  • 2 tablespoon Butter (if dairy sensitive, drizzle a little olive oil to finish the dish instead)

Instructions

  • Pat your chicken dry and season with salt and pepper and thyme on both sides. Set aside.
  • In a large pan, add olive oil leeks (or onions) and saute until softened and aromatic. Add the garlic. Move your leeks on to the sides of the pan and add in your chicken and brown on both sides for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove your chicken and leeks from the pan and set aside- keep warm.
  • Add your brandy (or apple brandy like Calvados) and deglaze the pan. Loosen all the little delicious bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the apple cider, chicken broth and apples into the pan and chicken and leek back into the pan. Simmer until the apples are fork tender, about 7-8 minutes and liquid is reduced to about half. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Dairy Option: Add heavy cream and butter to the pan and increase heat until slightly thickened and delicious.
  • Non- Dairy Option – increase the heat to your pan to medium and Add non-dairy milk of choice and cornstarch together to make a slurry. Stir into pan while boiling and allow to thicken. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.
  • Garnish with fresh thyme spears and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is also delicious with skin on chicken thighs but you will need to increase the braising time.
Feel free to use regular onions or shallots as exchange for the leeks. You can use regular brandy instead of apple brandy or you can skip altogether if you wish.
We like to use apples that are a little firmer as it is nice to bite into aldente apple. Gala, granny smith, honey crisp are just a few we like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 437mg | Potassium: 1127mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1313IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg