Chicken is quite rightly one of the best loved meats in the world.
It is very lean, is an excellent source of protein, super versatile and plays a starring role in a lot of diet recipes. If you are able to buy an organic free range chicken, all the better, as it will be free from any hormones or other unhealthy additions. It’s also a great policy from an humanitarian point of view, as many of the supermarket chickens are forced to live in conditions that are quite disgraceful.
If you are not trying to lose weight, relax, not all chicken recipes are low fat recipes. However, most chicken recipes will be, broadly speaking, more heart-healthy than a similar recipe cooked with different meat, such as pork or lamb.
Here is a great recipe that will delight friends and family alike.
The ingredient list is as follows:
One chicken (roughly 3.5 lb)
Two C. of apple cider
6 ea. Apples (peeled and cut into quarters)
salt (as needed)
pepper (as needed)
One teaspoon cornstarch
Half C. of whipping cream
One tablespoonful of lemon juice
1/3 C. of butter
Two tablespoonfuls of oil (olive)
1/4 teaspoonful cinnamon (if you like – its optional)
Four scallion onions, (finely chopped)
Two whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
One sprig of parsley, (finely chopped, for decoration)
Half teaspoonful thyme
Two tsp. of sugar
Preparation:
Clean the Chicken and dry it well.
Mix a little salt and pepper amd smooth it into the chicken (exterior and interior)
Pour the lemon juice over the pieces of apple.
Take a large frying pan or skillet and heat half the butter until melted then add the olive oil.
Put half of the apple pieces into the pan and cook slowly for 5 minutes until browned slightly
Add the ground ginger and give it a few stirs, cooking a little longer to enable the ground ginger to develop it’s flavour.
Stuff the bird with the mixture from the skillet and close the chicken cavity by string or by threading with a skewer.
Add the rest of the butter to the pan and heat until it melts and then put the organic chicken into the frying pan and quickly brown the outside of the chicken, turning it so it browns evenly.
Put the organic chicken into a large casserole pot with lid.
Take the apple that is left, the scallion onions, cinnamon, thyme, sugar and cloves and add them all to the frying pan.
Fry gently for a couple of minutes and pour in the cider and increase the heat to start the mixture boiling.
Once the traditional cider is boiling, add it to the casserole and replace the lid, using foil or wax paper to ensuer a good tight seal.
Put in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes at 400F
When the chicken is ready, put the chicken onto a heated platter while you make the sauce.
If there is any fat in the pot, skim it off and then increase the heat, boiling the liquid away until there is approx one cupful left.
Mix in the cream and cornstarch, mixing well until it is nice and thick.
Season to taste, and then pour over the chicken
Sprinkle the parsley garnish over and serve.
If you want to keep the whole meal healthy, you may want to add a vegetable side dish of asparagus or spring greens and new potatoes.
If this recipe meets with your approval, you can find a wide variety of chicken recipes by visiting any of the recipe collections available online.