Cheddar-Crusted Chicken with Smooshy Applesauce

Here's a cheesy, apple-y meal to satisfy both your salty and sweet cravings.

You Will Need
5 McIntosh apples -- peeled, quartered, cored and chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup apple cider (eyeball it)
3 rounded tablespoons brown sugar
One 1-inch piece of peeled ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Four 8-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup salted baby pretzels1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 cup shredded or crumbled sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (eyeball it)
Freshly ground pepper
1 large egg
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Vegetable oil, for frying
Salt

What to Do
1. Preheat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the apples, lemon juice, cider, brown sugar, ginger and cinnamon and stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushy, about 15 minutes. Remove the ginger.

2. While the applesauce is cooking, sprinkle a little water into each of 4 quart-size plastic storage bags. Place 1 chicken breast in each bag, push out the excess air and seal it up. Using a heavy-bottomed pot, pound each breast until evenly thin, just shy of busting out of the bag.

3. Place the pretzels, bread crumbs, cheese, thyme, nutmeg and pepper in a food processor and pulse to grind until they're the consistency of bread crumbs. Transfer the ground pretzels and cheese to a shallow dish.

4. Crack the egg into a second shallow dish and lightly beat with a splash of water. Place some flour in a third dish. Coat the chicken first in flour, then egg and finally in cheese and pretzel crumbs.

5. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium-high heat and add the coated chicken breasts. Cook in a single layer, 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until the juices run clear and the breading is evenly browned. Cut off a piece of a cutlet and taste, to see if you want to salt them a little. Serve the chicken with the applesauce.

Serves 4

From Every Day With Rachael Ray - November/December 2005

 

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