Tender pieces of chicken swimming in a sweet and savory apple cider cream sauce with caramelized mushrooms and golden, buttery apples. This dish will blanket your whole home with the warm, rich smells and flavors of fall.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Preparing this dish takes a bit of time but the process is quite simple and as relaxed and cozy as your favorite sweater.

Making it is an unhurried, leisurely process that results in a supremely comforting meal. It's the perfect remedy for a long, stressful week. The kind of meal that puts everything to rights.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Recipe: Chicken and Apples with Mushrooms in Cider Cream Sauce

For step-by-step photos and instructions showing how to prepare this recipe, please see the original recipe: Chicken and Apples

• 1 three to four pound whole chicken chopped into 6-8 pieces - OR any kind or combination of skin on, bone in chicken pieces (I used 3 ½ pounds split breasts in the photos you see here)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups apple cider
• 4 tablespoons butter (plus more if the pan looks dry)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 16 ounces mushrooms, any variety
• 2 apples, any variety (I used honeycrisp)
• 3 medium to large sized cloves of garlic
• 1 small to medium size yellow onion
• 10-12 sprigs of fresh herbs, tied with a piece of string into a bundle (I used thyme, sage, and rosemary)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock or broth

1. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken pieces with a generous amount of salt. Lay them on a plate or tray and place it in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 3 hours up to 12 hours. (This allows the salt to sink into the meat, seasoning it from the inside out.)
2. Pour 3 cups apple cider into a small saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil. Let the liquid boil until it has reduced down to 1 cup. Set aside.
3. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil to a large saucepan, dutch oven, or braiser. Set the pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add a few pieces of chicken. Allow the chicken to cook on one side until golden brown. Turn the pieces over and cook until golden brown on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan, setting it on a plate. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken. (I browned two breasts at a time and the whole process took about 20 minutes).
4. While the chicken is browning, gently rub the mushrooms with a wet paper towel to remove any dirt then cut them into ½-inch slices. When the chicken has been browned, add the sliced mushrooms to the pan, toss them around in the fat, and sprinkle them with a bit of salt. Cook, stirring every once in a while, until they are golden brown and caramelized on the outside. If the pan looks dry at any point, add a bit more butter.
5. While the mushrooms cook, slice the apples into pieces that are ½ to 1-inch thick. (Remove the apple core.) When the mushrooms have caramelized, remove them from the pan and add the apple slices. Cook the apple slices, stirring every once in a while, until they are beginning to brown and are crisp-tender.
6. While the apples cook, peel and chop the onion and garlic. Remove the apples from the pan and add the chopped garlic and onion. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook until the onion is just beginning to brown.
7. Add the apple cider reduction to the pan with the onions and garlic and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Add about ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper, the bundle of herbs, mushrooms, cream, stock, and chicken to the pan.
8. Bring the liquid to a simmer then cover the pan and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Let the chicken cook until cooked through, 20-30 minutes, depending on how thick the pieces are. (The internal temperature of the chicken should register 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer; alternatively cut into one of the pieces of chicken - if there is no pink, the chicken is done.)
9. Remove the chicken and the herb bundle from the pan. Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary. Add the apple back to the pan, turn the heat up to high, and let the sauce boil uncovered for 5 minutes to reduce it and thicken it slightly. Add the chicken back into the sauce and serve.

What to serve with chicken and apples

I always want to eat this with flaky buttermilk biscuits but thick slices of crusty bread are also the perfect way to sop up all that creamy sauce. If you are the bread baking kind, these super easy yeast raised dinner rolls are never out of place, especially when your plate is filled with all things warm and cozy.

I sometimes like to eat this with a simple salad. My two favorites are Israeli Salad and jicama apple salad, the latter of which is the obvious choice if you want to double up on apple flavor.

And speaking of apples, how fantastic would it be to end the meal with plates of warm apple cobbler or buttery French apple crumb cake? My belly is doing a little hopeful dance at the very thought.

For more of my recipes, visit alittleandalot.com and ofbatteranddough.com.

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