September 18, 2012 - Creamy apple and bacon Chicken

This one also turned out excellent! It was a little hard to taste the apple, so maybe I will add more apple, or some type of apple flavoring. We had a good friend join us for dinner. We had some veggies and fruit to go along with it. We always add something like that to make the meal more filling without adding too many carbs or sugar. 

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, either whole or cut into pieces (see below)

·         1 small apple, cut into ¼ inch slices

·         ¼ cup apple juice (see below for alternatives)

·         ¼ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)

·         1/3 cup heavy cream

·         2 Tablespoons oil plus one more of oil, butter, or bacon grease

·         1 teaspoon dried thyme -- or use tarragon or a mix of "French-type" herbs, or fresh if you have it -- 2-3 teaspoons

·         2 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

·         salt and pepper

Preparation:

The chicken breasts can be either left whole, cut in half, or cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.

1) Heat 1 to 2 Tablespoons oil in pan.  Lightly brown apple slices in pan. You don't want them to be too soft, just to the point where you can start to easily put a fork in them. Remove apples.

2) Add another Tablespoon of oil, and brown chicken on both sides. The chicken probably won't be cooked through at this point, which is OK. Push chicken to one side or to the edges. Add the Chicken Broth, which should deglaze the pan. Add the rest of the liquids and herbs and simmer until reduced and chicken is cooked through.

3) Serve with bacon bits sprinkled over the top.

Makes three servings (or four less-hearty servings).

Nutritional Information with apple juice: Each of 3 servings has 8 grams of carbs, plus 1 gram fiber, 37 grams protein, and 403 calories

 HAPPY EATING!!!