apple cider glazed chicken

there's been a heck of a lot of sweet treats around here lately, and not a single bite of apple goodness. which is surprising, since a couple weeks ago we made our annual trip to the orchard where we picked a mere thirty three pounds of apples and picked up a gallon of fresh pressed cider. apple pie was made the next day, followed by one of my fall favorites: apple chicken chili.

i love love love the combination of apples and chicken together, so as soon as i saw this recipe in cooking light, it was ripped out and stuck to the refrigerator, patiently waiting for cider. and man, was it worth the wait. not only is it a mere five ingredients, all of which i had in my pantry, but it comes together in way under thirty minutes and tastes amazing. cooking light suggests serving the chicken over brown rice, but our leftover mashed potatoes served us just as well.

apple cider glazed chicken
adapted from cooking light
20 minutes, serves 4

1 teaspoon unsalted butter
4 chicken breasts or chicken breast cutlets
1/2 cup fresh apple cider
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
mashed potatoes or rice for serving (i used leftover mashed potatoes from two nights before)

1. prepare your mashed potatoes or rice.
2. melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. if you're using chicken breasts, pound them thin. season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. add chicken to the pan and cook about three minutes per side, until done. remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. add cider and mustard to the pan and scrape up the brown bits to loosen them. cook a couple minutes until slightly thickened and syrupy.
4. add chicken back to the pan and flip to coat with sauce. sprinkle with parsley and serve over potatoes or rice. top with extra pan sauce.