Kitchen Klutz: Lost among the post and pans -- send help!

On the menu: apple cider chicken

By Michèle De Meglio

Here’s the deal – I can’t cook.

Sure, I’m a 20-something who can prepare salmon on a George Foreman Grill, but my crazy hours as a hard-hitting journalist have created a strong reliance on Lean Cuisine frozen dinners and late-night takeout.

But that all stops now!

Each week, I will tackle a tasty-on-paper recipe in my own unique way – lots of screaming in fear of the boiling pots on the stove.

For my first tricky endeavor, I attempted a dish dubbed apple cider chicken. I had never heard of such a combination before but I figured I like chicken and I like apple cider so what could go wrong, right?

Well…

The chicken attacked me! As soon as I put it in a sauté pan, the olive oil shot out like a bullet – right at my bare arms. Can you say ouch?

In spite of the aerial assault, the thin boneless chicken breasts appeared to brown quickly, actually in half the time that the recipe said. With a few panicked cries, I stuck each piece of chicken with a fork and shakily removed it from the boiling pot.

Now, it was time to fill the pan with minced garlic, sliced Granny Smith apples and chopped Vidalia onions. I still don’t understand how to tell when the onions are soft but not too soft. Oh well.

Following the Food Network recipe, I had to nestle the chicken back into the pan (seriously, nestle?) and pour in a few cups of apple cider. That should have been easy but my appointed kitchen helper was off styling his hair instead of pouring the cider.

Once I dug out the juice and the “Where’s the cider?!” catastrophe passed, all the ingredients were nestled (yes, nestled!) in the hot pan.

A few minutes to simmer and then dinner was ready.

Verdict: It was good! Served in the apple cider bath, the dish had a dark coloring that seemed unappealing but soon proved otherwise. As I, two pals and the naughty kitchen helper put slices of chicken, apple and onion on the first bite, we were all pleasantly surprised that it was actually yummy. Score one for the Kitchen Klutz!

Have a recipe for the Kitchen Klutz? Send it to MDemeglio@CNGLocal.com.

Bon appetit!

Apple Cider Chicken

(Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch wedges
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups apple cider

Directions

Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, add to pan and sear until golden, about 4 minutes each side. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside. Add remaining butter and onion, apple, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Saute until apple begins to get color and onions soften, about 6 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 to 3 minutes. Nestle chicken back into pan, add cider, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes.