RECIPE: Chicken Simmered with Apples..perfect for Fall suppers

This is a wonderful Fall Supper and makes a nice change of pace from Roasting and stews.
Tender pieces of chicken, skinless are sauteed in butter with onions, sweated off with apple cider and sliced apple added, then slowly simmered to perfection.
Serve with any steamed grain and green vegetables.

Serves 4

2/3 cup all purpose flour
4 tsp any chopped fresh herb or combination of your choice

sea salt & ground black pepper to taste

4 x 6-8ozs fillets of skinless/boneless chicken or skinless chicken pieces, legs and thighs combined
1 medium onion  thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
2tbps unsalted butter
2tbsp grape seed or safflower oil
1 cup apple cider (I prefer the hard apple cider or you may use apple juice)

2 cups sliced fresh apples ( you may leave the skin on, your choice)

Fresh cream to finish (optional)

Mix the flour with the fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, tarragon, cilantro, oregano, basil..any single or combination works).

Season the chicken pieces well with sea salt and pepper, then dust with the herb-flour( the easiest way to do this is to put the herbs and flour into a bag, shake to mix then add each piece of chicken and coat one at a time). Set aside until all are coated in flour mix.

Melt the oil in a large skillet and saute/sweat the apples, garlic and onions  for 3 mins, or until the apples gain some color.
Remove everything from pan with a slotted spoon,  and set aside.

Reserving the pan juices and oil
Add the butter and  heat on medium high and saute the chicken pieces, do not over fill the skillet, cook until golden brown then turn over to cook and color the other side.
Add the apple cider and the cooked apples, garlic and onions with any juices they may have leached.
Simmer with a lid, 20 - 30 mins until the chicken is cooked (if using breasts and bone in drumsticks and thighs, cook these for the first 10 mins then add the breast pieces, cut in halves).

Remove any fat from the surface of the skillet
Add more fresh herbs.
Check seasonings and pour over some thick double cream, serve immediately

OR flame some Calvados (Apple Brandy) and pour this over the chicken, minus the cream and serve immediately.

Variations: make using fresh pears and use pear cider in place of apple, this has  much more subtle flavors