Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine.
Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!
This past fall, I was blessed with many, many apples from my backyard trees. When you end up with lots of apples, you find creative ways to use them. Apple chicken marsala is inspired by traditional chicken marsala paired with a preparation of cooking that I typically use for pheasant since it tenderizes the meat so wonderfully well. This preparation is to cook the meat in a seasoned broth. The method of cooking meats in a flavorful liquid is called poaching. The result of cooking this way is meat that isn’t dry, but perfectly tender. Poaching the chicken breasts also imparts all of the deliciousness from the apples, veggies, and marsala wine to savor in each and every bite.
After the chicken is fully cooked, the sauce is strained and used as a unique marsala sauce. Serve this with a helping of honey glazed apples on the side for a simple easy side dish that the whole family will adore. This is also fantastic served with cider-braised pearl onions or over a smashed baked sweet potato.
Apple Chicken Marsala
Calories 315, Protein 28g, Carbs 39g, Fat 2g
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- Coconut or olive oil to grease the pan
- 2 green apples, cored and sliced
- 1 cup celery, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- ¾ cup dry marsala wine (the drinking type, not the cooking wine) or use a dry white wine like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc
- 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch mixed with small amount of water to create a slurry
- ½ cup heavy cream or coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- Pinch ground black pepper
Honey Glazed Apples:
- 3-4 green or red tart apples, cored and sliced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Coconut oil
Preparation Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a Dutch oven or other oven proof baking dish with lid, heat a small amount of coconut or olive oil until hot.
- Brown chicken on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add green apples, celery, onion, and shallot into the pan. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add wine and stock then stir. Add chicken breasts back into the dish.
- Cover and bake until cooked through, about 40 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to serving dish and keep warm.
- Strain the remaining liquid into a small bowl. Discard the vegetables and apples.
- Return strained liquid to the Dutch oven.
- Add tapioca starch slurry to the liquid and heat until thickened and bubbly.
- Add cream, salt, parsley, and pepper and cook until hot.
- In a separate sauté pan, make the honey glazed apples.
- Heat a small amount of coconut oil to prevent sticking.
- Add apples and honey and heat until warmed but not soft.
- Serve chicken topped with the marsala cream sauce and honeyed apples.
