Fennel Apple Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

Cider Braised Chicken with Leeks and Apples

 

This is a grand slam.  I have to call it an instant success, my now-Famous Fall Chicken.  Long have I struggled with chicken: how to find that perfect done-ness in between overcooked, dry and tastless, but not undercooked and deadly.  I am continually possessed by the fear that I may kill my sweet family with raw chicken and tend to overcompensate with many meals of chewy chicken.  

Aside from slow cookers, I was in search of a way to cook chicken in less than 8 hours and still have it come out juicy and tender.  Braising did the trick.  Here's what I did:  the pan was heated to a very high heat initially and I seared the chicken to a golden brown - to the point where there were delicious brown bits forming on the bottom of the pan.  After the searing the chicken pieces were removed to rest on a plate.  Leeks and apples, such a beautiful fall marriage of fruit and vegetable, were tossed into the pan with a bit of good olive oil.  I sauteed them until the leeks began to caramelize, the apples looking like a delicious newcomer in my saute pan.  When I thought they could take no more, I popped the top on a bottle of cider beer and poured a bit in.  From my extensive cooking channel marathons, I believe this is called deglazing the pan.  I am calling it sheer disbelief - all those brown bits (the ones I thought I would be scrubbing out later on) literally floated up off of the pan and into the mix.  I daresay, the pan was spotless.  As the cider reduced, I continued to add more until I had added roughly half of a bottle.  Then it was time for the chickens' return.  I nestled each breast among the leeks and apples as the cider continued to bubble.  Down went the heat and on went a tin foil tent over the pan - it was time to cook the chicken through a slow simmer.  Twenty minutes on the timer, and enough time to enjoy a glass of wine before the main attraction was ready. The result can hardly be described by words alone - the juiciest chicken, the perfect fall compliments from the sweetness of the apples, the subtle spice of the leeks and the tangy cider.  A perfect 10.

Make it again?  Already made it two more times :)  Like I said, it's my Famous Fall Chicken from this point forward. 

Improvements? Incorporate more pieces of chicken, like the thighs.  Experiment with different types of beer.