This recipe spices up a chicken dinner with sweet and savory notes.
Ingredients
- FILLING INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, chopped into small chunks
- ¼ cup white raisins
- ½ cup white or blush wine, separated
- ¼ cup pecans, lightly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- CHICKEN WITH GRAVY INGREDIENTS
- 5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- Kitchen twine
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup white wine
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup water
Directions
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped apple and raisins. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat, until the apples start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the wine, pecans and cinnamon, and cook for a few more minutes. When the liquid reduces by half, add the remaining ¼ cup of wine, salt and brown sugar. Cook a few more minutes until most of the liquid is gone. Transfer the apple mixture into a bowl. Set the pan aside.
To prepare the chicken, gently pound the breasts with a cooking mallet or meat tenderizer to flatten them. Use a sharp knife to carefully butterfly each piece so that the meat can open and lay flat for filling. Place the chicken in a bowl and season with olive oil, paprika, chipotle powder, Italian seasoning and pepper. Coat the meat well with the seasoning blend.
Lay the seasoned, butterflied chicken on a large cutting board and evenly distribute the filling on each side. Carefully tie together each breast with cooking twine so that the filling is neatly sandwiched in the meat.
Melt the butter in the pan previously used for the filling. Add the chicken to the pan and brown each side for a few minutes over medium-high heat.
Add the wine to the pan and cover. Cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally. Make sure liquid remains in pan and add water if needed.
When the meat is fully cooked, remove it from pan. Leave the liquid in the pan and set the pan aside.
Place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake it for about 5 minutes. While the chicken is baking, make the gravy in the pan with the reserved liquid by adding the cornstarch and water and whisking well over medium-low heat. Cook until gravy thickens.
Serve chicken whole or sliced and top with the gravy.
Cook’s tip: To butterfly the chicken, use a sharp knife to slice the breasts horizontally, stopping just before the edge of the meat. Do not slice breasts in half. Open the breasts like a book, allowing meat to lie flat for filling.
Nutrition Analysis: 380 cal, 17 g fat, 100 mg chol, 290 mg sodium, 20 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 12 g sugar, 28 g protein.
Laura Hahn, author of the cookbook Around the World, One Gluten-Free Meal at a Time, is a regular contributor to Gluten-Free Living. She also blogs about gluten-free food at GuiltFreeFoodieCutie.com.
