How to Cook Organic Chicken Cooked in Cider

Chicken is justifiably one of the most popular meats throughout the whole world.
It is virtually fat free, is protein rich, exceedingly versatile and is the key ingredient in many diet recipes. If you can buy an organic chicken, that will be better still, as it will be free from any hormones or other unhealthy additions. It's also a sound idea for animal welfare, as many of the supermarket chickens are housed in conditions that are pretty shameful.

If you are not the dieting type, relax, not all chicken recipes are low fat recipes. Nevertheless, most recipes that include chicken will be, broadly speaking, better for you than similar recipes cooked using other meats, like beef or pork.

Here is a basic recipe that will satisfy your family and friends.

To prepare this recipe, you will need:

One organic chicken (roughly 3.5 lb)
Two cup of traditional cyder
6 apples (peeled and quartered)
salt (as required)
pepper (as required)
One teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup of whipping cream
One tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup of butter
Two tablespoonfuls of oil (olive)
1/4 teaspoonful ground cinnamon (not obligatory)
Four scallion onions, (finely chopped)
Two whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
One sprig of parsley, (finely chopped, for use as a garnish)
1/2 teaspoonful thyme
Two teaspoons of sugar

Description:

Clean the Chicken and dry it well.
Combine some pepper and salt and then rub it into the organic chicken (both inside and out)
Drizzle the lemon juiice over the apple.

Melt half the butter in a large frying pan or skillet and mix in the olive oil.
Put half of the apple pieces into the pan and cook lightly for five mins. until browned slightly
Add the ground ginger and mix well, frying a short while longer to allow the ground ginger to release it's flavours.
Stuff the chicken with the apple mixture and close-up the chicken by string or by threading with a skewer.

Add the rest of the butter to the pan and heat until it melts and then place the chicken in the pan and fry until the skin is browned a little, browning it all over.
Place the bird in a big oven ready casserole dish with a tight fitting lid.
Take the rest of the apple, the scallion onions, ground cinnamon, thyme, cloves and sugar and put them in the skillet.

Fry gently for 2-3 mins then add the apple cider and bring to the boil.

Once the traditional cyder is at boiling point, pour it over the chicken in the casserole dish and replace the lid, using foil or wax paper to ensuer a good tight seal.

Put it into the oven and cook for approx 3/4 hour at 200 Celsius

When the chicken is ready, transfer it to a warmed plate to keep warm whilst the gracy/sauce is prepared.

Skim the fat from the contents of the casserole pot and then boil the juices down until there is approximately one cupful left.

Add the cornstarch and cream, stirring until it is thick and creamy.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and pour the sauce over the organic chicken

Toss some of the parsley over the top, and serve.

If you are entertaining guests, you could add side servings of steamed broccoli or grilled mushrooms and new potatoes.

If you like this recipe, you can find a wide variety of chicken recipes by spending a little time reading through any of the recipe collections on the World Wide Web.