Chicken is justifiably one of the most popular meats in the world.
It is virtually fat free, is an excellent source of protein, extremely versatile and plays a major part in a lot of diet recipes. If you are able to buy an organic chicken, all the better, as it will be less likely to be contaminated with additives and hormones. It Is also a good idea from an humanitarian point of view, as many of the grocery store chickens are bred in conditions that are quite terrible.
If you are not worried about weight loss, don't worry, chicken is not just used in low fat recipes. Even so, almost all recipes that feature chicken will be, more often than not, better for you than similar recipes cooked using other meats, like beef or pork.
Here's one such recipe that will definitely satisfy your family and friends.
The ingredient list is as follows:
One organic chicken (approximately 3.5 lb)
2 C. of apple cider
Six Fresh Apples (pared and quartered)
salt (as required)
pepper (as required)
One tsp. cornstarch
1/2 C. of whipping cream
One tablespoonful of lemon juice
1/3 C. of butter
2 Tbls of olive oil
A quarter teaspoonful cinnamon (not obligatory)
Four scallion onions, (finely chopped)
2 cloves
A quarter tsp. ground ginger
One sprig of parsley, (finely chopped, for decoration)
1/2 teaspoonful dried thyme
2 tsp. of sugar
Description:
Clean the Chicken and dry it well.
Mix some salt and pepper and rub it into the organic chicken (exterior and interior)
Drizzle the lemon juiice over the apple.
Take a large frying pan or skillet and heat half the butter until melted then add the oil.
Put half of the apple pieces into the pan and cook slowly for five minutes (until they have browned a little)
Mix in the ground ginger and give it a few stirs, cooking a short while longer to enable the ground ginger to release it's flavour.
Stuff the apple mixture into the chicken and close the chicken cavity by tying with string or by threading with a skewer.
Add the rest of the butter to the pan and heat until it melts and then add the chicken to the skillet and fry until the skin is browned a little, turning it so it browns evenly.
Transfer the chicken to a big oven ready casserole dish with a tight fitting lid.
Take the rest of the apple, the scallion onions, cinnamon, dried thyme, sugar and cloves and put them in the skillet.
Fry gently for 2-3 minutes and pour in the apple cider and increase the heat to start the mixture boiling.
When the traditional cyder is boiling, add it the oven dish with the chicken and cover the pot with foil or waxed paper before placing the lid on the pot.
Put it into the oven and cook for approx 3/4 hour at 200C
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and put onto a warm plate whilst you prepare the cider gravy.
Skim and remove any fat from the pot and then boil off the juices until there is just about one cupful left.
Mix in the cream and cornstarch, stirring until it is thick and creamy.
Add salt and pepper 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 could add side servings of cauliflower or grilled mushrooms and sauteed potatoes.
If this recipe meets with your approval, you can easily discover a good selection of chicken recipes by taking a look at one of the free recipe sites available online.
Rog Wakefield is a keen amateur chef who offers dietary information for 'Recipe Ideas', which has more than 25,000 recipes with specialist recipe categories for Chicken Recipes and Low Fat Recipes amongst many others.
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