Chicken is quite rightly one of the most popular meats in the world.
It is low in fat, is an excellent source of protein, exceedingly versatile and is the key ingredient in a lot of diet recipes. If you are able to get hold of an free range chicken, do so, as it will be a purer meat, with less chance of it containing added hormones. It’s also a great policy for animal welfare, as most of the mass produced chickens are housed in conditions that are quite disgraceful.

If you are not worried about weight loss, there is no need to worry, chicken is not just used in low carbohydrate recipes. Nevertheless, the majority of recipes that include chicken will be, more often than not, healthier than similar recipes cooked using different meats, like beef or pork.

Here’s a simple recipe that will definitely impress both family and friends.

You will need:

One chicken (approximately 3.5 lb)
Two cupful of cyder
Six Fresh Apples (peeled and cut into quarters)
salt (as needed)
pepper (as required)
1 teaspoonful cornstarch
Half cupful of whipping cream
One tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup of butter
Two T. of oil (olive)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
4 scallion onions, (chopped fine)
2 cloves
A quarter tsp. ginger
1 sprig of parsley, (chopped well, for decoration)
Half teaspoonful dried thyme
Two teaspoons of sugar

Technique:

Clean the Chicken and dry it well.
Mix a little pepper and salt and then rub it into the chicken (interior and exterior)
Pour the lemon juice over the pieces of apple.

Melt half the butter in a skillet then add the oil.
Add half of the apples to the pan and cook lightly for five mins. until browned slightly
Mix in the ground ginger and mix well, heating it a short while longer to allow the ginger to develop it’s flavours.
Stuff the chicken with mixture from the frying pan and close the chicken cavity by tying with string or by ‘pinning’ it with a metal or wooden skewer.

Add the rest of the butter to the pan and heat until it melts and then place the chicken in the pan and quickly brown the outside of the chicken, making sure it browns equally all over.
Put the organic chicken into a big oven ready casserole dish with a tight fitting lid.
Take the rest of the apple, the green onions, cinnamon, dried thyme, sugar and cloves and put them in the skillet.

Cook for 2-3 mins and pour in the apple cyder and bring to the boil.

Once the traditional cyder is boiling, pour it over the bird and cover the pot with foil or waxed paper before placing the lid on the pot.

Put the pot in the oven and cook for about three quarters of an hour at 200C

When the chicken is ready, put the chicken onto a heated platter whilst you prepare the cider gravy.

Skim the fat from the contents of the casserole pot and then boil the juices down until there is approx one cupful remaining.

Add the cornstarch and cream, and stir constantly till it reaches a nice creamy consistancy.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and then pour over the chicken

Serve with the chopped parsley sprinkled over the chicken.

If you are entertaining guests, you could add side servings of cauliflower or runner beans and new potatoes.

If you like this recipe, you can easily discover a good selection of chicken recipes by taking a look at one of the recipe collections available online, or by visiting your local library.