Chicken is cheap and has great protein, so we buy a lot of it. But chicken can easily become very boring. This is a fun change from a basic grilled chicken. I read a recipe similar to this in a “healthy” cookbook. I was shocked it was considered healthy with all the sugars and hydrogenated oils. I changed up some of the ingredients and left out the processed sugars and was very pleased with the results. My daughter loved it and since kids are always a good indication of whether a recipe is actually good, I’d say this one is a keeper.
Saute a sliced apple in the coconut oil until it’s tender. I used a Granny Smith apple because they were on sale but any apple will work fine. Set the apple slices aside in a bowl.
Season the chicken with the cinnamon, salt and pepper and add that to the pan with the rest of the coconut oil. Just brown both sides here. You’ll completely cook the chicken a little later. Browning it a bit before cooking it keeps it juicy and locks in the great flavors.
Now set the chicken aside. Don’t worry about keeping it warm as it’s going to go back in the pan later. Add the onion, cover the pan and cook the onion until it’s soft. If you don’t cover the pan, the onion with get brown and crunchy. You don’t want that. You want the onion as soft as the apple.
Now add in the liquids and let that simmer a bit before adding the chicken back in. Once the chicken is completely cooked, add the apples and make sure everything is warm.
The best part about this dish (besides the flavor) is the fact that it comes together in one dish. I hate washing dishes so I cut out as many as possible when cooking. We ate this over rice, but you can use quinoa or mashed sweet potatoes.
- 3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 Apple (Peeled, Cored and Sliced)
- 4 Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1 Onion (Sliced)
- 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Hot Rice or Quinoa
- Heat 1 coconut oil in a large skillet.
- Saute the apple until tender and brown (8-10 minutes) Set this aside in a bowl.
- Combine the cinnamon, salt and pepper and sprinkle it on the chicken breasts.
- Add the remaining 2 T to the skillet and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. Set aside on a plate.
- Add the onion, cover and cook about 8 minutes until soft. Add the broth and vinegar and simmer for about two minutes.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook it until it’s done, occasionally basting the chicken with the pan juices. This should take about 7 minutes.
- Add the apples back to the pan and cook until everything is warm. Serve over rice or quinoa.
It looks great!