Skillet Chicken with Cranberries & Apples

This was a recipe I got from Eating Well, which I follow on Twitter.  We thought it would be a nice fall-like meal to have.  We enjoyed this.  I will say I don't think we were blown away by it, but we were not disappointed either.  It was pretty sweet.  We used Craisins for the cranberries so maybe that contributed to the sweetness, but it was a touch too sweet for dinner for me.  The recipe also called for a bunch of thyme.  Next time I think I would go easier on the thyme.  I am guessing it is part of the recipe to cut the sweet, but it was a bit too much.  It had that woody taste you get when there is a little too much, but maybe that was what they were going for.  Also, use apple cider just cause I think it brings a huge amount of fall flavor to it.  As I said, overall it was good, not great, but a nice easy to make dinner.


Ingredients


1 pound chicken tenders, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, divided

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

2 crisp red apples, such as Braeburn, Fuji or Gala, thinly sliced

1 large red onion, quartered and sliced

3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice, divided

1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

 
Preparation


1.Sprinkle both sides of chicken tenders with 1/4 teaspoon each thyme, salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the chicken. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a clean plate.

2.Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add apples, onion, 2 tablespoons cider (or juice) and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each thyme and salt. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the apples and onion are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cranberries and sprinkle flour over everything in the pan; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the remaining cider (or juice). Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more.