This recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks – Way to Cook by Cooking Light. If you’re just starting out and curious about all things kitchen, this is a great (and visual!) starting point. Also, when isn’t bacon a delicious addition? Note: This dish keeps well for leftovers.
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded thin
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
- 1/4 cup minced fresh onion
- 3/4 cup unsweetened apple cider
- 1/2 cup less-sodium chicken broth
Directions
To prepare the chicken breast, place each half-breast between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap and pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin (this is a great stress reliever!). Sprinkle the pounded halves evenly and on both sides with the salt and pepper.
Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan but do not wipe the pan clean. Add the chicken to the bacon drippings in the pan and cook about 6 minutes on each side or until done. If you’re a fellow meat-thermometer wielding, safe-temperature fanatic, 165 F is your magic number. Try and only turn the chicken once that beautiful, tasty browning has time to happen. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm.
Add the minced onion and sauté 2 minutes or until tender and translucent, stirring constantly. Add the cider and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape the pan to loosen any browned bit. Boil until the broth mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes) then stir in the cooked bacon.
Serving size is one chicken breast and about 2 tbspn of sauce.