Recipe: Spiced Chicken with Apples (using onion, cinnamon and curry)

SPICED CHICKEN WITH APPLES

"The sauce also tastes wonderful poured over baked potato or brown or wild rice."

1 tsp. curry powder*
2 cinnamon sticks
1 large golden delicious apple, cored and chopped**
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup apple juice (or cider), divided use
1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
1 Tbsp. flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In wide skillet over medium heat, stir curry until slightly darker in color.

Add cinnamon sticks, and cook about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add apple, onion, lemon juice, chicken broth and 1/2 cup of apple juice. Bring to a boil.

Add chicken thighs to pan, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is no longer pink, about 1 hour. Cut to test. Remove chicken from pan, arrange on warm platter and keep warm.

Blend flour and remaining 1/2 cup apple juice. Gradually add to sauce pan, stirring. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken.

*Curry powder is actually a blend and can include mixtures of up to 20 different herbs and spices. Common curry powder ingredients include cardamom, chiles, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, red pepper, poppy seeds, saffron and turmeric.

**The more mature or golden the apples are, the better they work for this recipe since their natural sweetness acts as the perfect balance to the curry. Avoid goldens - or any apple - that wrinkles when you rub your thumb across the skin. This is an indication that they have been in cold storage for too long or they have not been kept consistently cool. In addition, avoid goldens with "russeting," a bronze-colored, rough scab-like like condition usually found close to the stem.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 200 calories, 4.5 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 16 g carbohydrate, 23 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 160 mg sodium.

Source: The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)