Sauted Chicken Breasts with Apples

Tonight’s chicken breast dish, I think is the best I have ever made.  It comes from the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook.  Jim loved it.  It was easy to divide in half.  I am not sure of the size of the breasts, but they were perfectly cooked.  I used apples. 

Ingredients:

1 T plus 2 t vegetable oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (6-8 oz. each) (swap loin pork chops)

2 T all-purpose flour

1# pears, peeled, halved lengthwise and thickly sliced crosswise (swap apples)

1/3 C dry red wine

½ C Chicken Stock

1 T balsamic vinegar

½ t salt

¼ t dried rosemary, crumbled

¼ t dried thyme, crumbled

1/8 t freshly ground black pepper

1 T cold unsalted butter

Directions:

1.      Get all the ingredients on the counter as this goes fast.  I served with a salad that I made first and corn on the cob that I will write about later.

2.      In a large skillet, heat 1 T of the oil over medium heat.  Dredge the chicken in the flour.  Transfer to a plate.

3.      Add to the pre-warmed skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate.

4.      Add the remaining 2 t oil to the pan along with the pears (apples).  Cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. 

5.      Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. 

6.      Add stock, vinegar, salt, rosemary, thyme, and pepper.  Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

7.      Add the butter and swirl the pan until the sauce appears creamy. 

8.      I divided between two plates and served. 

Microwave Corn on the Cob:

This is a joy for those of you that do not like to peel corn.

Instructions:

1.      On the stem side cut the entire stem off.

2.      For every 2 ears, place on the glass plate in the microwave and set on high for 4 minutes. 

3.      Remove, hold the silk end and the corn, silk free should slide out. 

4.      For 3 ears, I used 8 minutes.  The ears were wonderful and they were silk free. 

Jim was at the Market Basket in Lebanon and tasted the following French red Languedoc wine, Mas des Vignalas, 100% cinsault.  I told him to buy more.  It was excellent.