Autumn Chicken Salad

The November issue of Bon Appetit is a treasure trove of recipes and ideas. I'm going to make several things from this magazine. Tonight I started a lamb stew but it will be for tomorrow night. I made the Cider Glazed Chicken Breasts Apple Fennel Salad to eat tonight. Here's the link http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2011/11/cider-glazed-chicken-breasts-with-apple-fennel-salad.

Cider Glazed Chicken Breasts Apple Salad my way

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 Granny Smith apple

1/2 shallot, finely chopped

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, divided

3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

3 tablespoons olive oil oil, divided

1/2 cup apple cider

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

~4 cups romaine lettuce

Preheat oven to 400°. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper; set aside. Cut 1 small slice from apple and finely chop. Transfer minced apple to a small Pyrex measuring cup. Add shallot to bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons cider vinegar and mustard. Whisk in 2 tablespoons oil; season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until cooked through, 13–15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving skillet; set aside. Let cool.

Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add cider, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan; boil until liquid is reduced by half, 2–3 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar. Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter. Season cider sauce with salt and pepper set aside.

Thinly slice remaining apple and transfer to a large salad bowl; add lettuces. Shred chicken and place on top of lettuce and apple slices. Pour sauce over chicken. Drizzle some vinaigrette over and toss to coat.

This had wonderful flavor. I left out the fennel because I'm not a fan. Feel free to leave it in, celery would have given the salad a nice crunch. The lamb stew smells wonderful and should be better tomorrow. I'm also making fig preserves for my dad so I'll update my blog soon, Enjoy!