Lemon Apple Pie Chicken and Apple Sangria

Years ago I made a lemon chicken recipe I’d found in Cosmopolitan Magazine. It is also where I got the original quiche recipe I’ve slowly developed into one of the more popular recipes for our church fair lunch menu! When I was in college, it seems Cosmo was THE magazine we relied on for pretty much everything. Thank God those days are behind me, but I’ve carried the recipes into my future. But as with any recipe I find, I change, add, and expand on them until they are truly my own.

The recipe I’m featuring below is remembered from sometime in the 80s when Apple Pie wine wasn’t even thought about, and it contained more butter and reconstituted lemon juice than anything. My Aunt Marie bought me an electric skillet as a gift to celebrate something, I don’t really remember what. But I’ve always remembered the brown sautéed bits of chicken, the fresh lemon taste, and the caramelized flavor that made this recipe my inevitable creation all these years later.

Lemon Apple Pie Chicken

Ingredients:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour for dredging
• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
• 2 TB Lemon-infused olive oil
• 1/2 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 4 sprigs of Lemon thyme, stripped so you don’t have stems
• 1 TB minced garlic
• 2 tsp finely zested lemon (I use a Microplane)
• 3 TB lemon juice
• ¼ cup Apple pie wine
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• 2 TB unsalted butter
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• Sliced lemons for garnish

Instructions:

• Whisk flour with salt and pepper, place in a paper bag and dredge chicken pieces a few at a time. Shaking to remove excess flour and set aside.
• Heat lemon oil in a skillet large enough to hold chicken pieces without crowding
• Add chicken and sliced mushrooms and cook until the chicken is lightly browned on both sides, 5 minutes or so on each side.
• Drain the oil out of the pan, being careful not to lose any of the chicken or mushrooms
• Add thyme, and garlic and cook for a minute. Keep flame low to avoid burning the garlic. Once the garlic is cooked, add zest, juice, broth, and wine.
• Scrape the bottom to catch up all the little brown tasty bits, then add in the butter and cinnamon, cooking another 3 minutes. Pour over the chicken, garnish with lemon slices, and serve with Basmati rice, or over steamed broccoli.

You can certainly make this with traditional white wine, but the addition of the apple pie wine and the cinnamon give the dish a homey, warm flavor, and the sauce is so delicious you’ll wish you had more.

So where does one find Apple Pie Wine?

This dish was inspired by a random stop at a local restaurant one fall day a year or so ago. We were heading home from a quartet rehearsal and decided to treat ourselves. A quick search on Yelp and we discovered Rapscallion’s Table & Tap in Acton. Definitely, a happy discovery and we’ve been back more than once. It’s a cozy location with different rooms to sit in, and an outdoor seating area as well. We’ve only been there in Fall and Winter, but it appears it’s the perfect place during the summer and Spring as well.

They carry the Olive Winery & Vineyards’ Apple Pie wine used in this recipe, but we’ve also purchased it (for a bit less money) at local liquor stores. If you see some, pick it up. A great addition to recipes or a wonderful Autumn Sangria made with Apple Jack Whiskey and Wine and slices of apple and pear!

Autumn Apple Sangria

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of apple pie wine
• 1 cup apple whiskey
• 4 cups apple cider
• 2 cups cranberry lime sparkling water
• Chopped apples
• Chopped pears
• Chopped cranberries
• Sliced apples and pears for garnish

Instructions:

• In a large container, mix the wine, whiskey, cider, and sparkling water.
• Fill each glass half-way with ice and chopped fruit. Pour sangria over and garnish.

For a sweeter version, rim each glass with caramel sauce and brown sugar/cinnamon mix!

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