Autumn Apple Chicken

The first week back is always chaos — new students, new schedules, the building vibrating with the energy of two thousand teenagers who have been released from summer and are not yet resigned to September. I love it. I have always loved the September chaos, the way a swimmer loves the shock of cold water: it wakes you up, it reminds you that you're alive, it demands your full attention and gives you no choice about providing it.

My freshmen are small — they seem to get smaller every year, though I know it's me who is getting older and the distance is playing tricks — and my juniors are appropriately skeptical of a sixty-two-year-old woman in sensible shoes who is about to tell them that "The Scarlet Letter" is going to change their lives. It probably won't change their lives. But it will teach them something about guilt and judgment and the way a society destroys the people who refuse to conform, and that is not nothing, not in any year, and certainly not in this one.

Marvin's aide Gloria now comes three days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings — because I cannot leave Marvin alone for a full school day anymore. He is safe, technically, but "safe" and "okay" are different things, and leaving him alone for eight hours in a house where he might forget where the bathroom is or try to use the stove is not something I'm willing to do. Gloria is kind and patient and watches game shows with Marvin and makes sure he eats lunch. I pay her out of our savings, which are not infinite but are sufficient for now, and I do not think about the math because the math is David's department now, and David says we're fine, and I believe him because I need to believe him.

I made an apple cake — the first apples of the season, tart and crisp, baked into a simple cake with cinnamon and brown sugar. Rosh Hashanah food practice. The kitchen is shifting from summer to fall, from tomatoes to apples, from cold soups to warm ones. I am ready. The new year is coming. The honey is on the shelf. The brisket is in the freezer. We will begin again, as we always do, with sweetness and prayer and the hope that this year will be better than the last, even though the evidence suggests otherwise. Hope is not evidence-based. Hope is the honey on the challah.

I had apples on the brain all week — the tart, crisp first apples of September sitting in the bowl on the counter, waiting to become something that tasted like a new beginning. I’d been thinking of making my usual apple cake, but on the Friday before the holiday, with Gloria settled in with Marvin and the school week finally behind me, I wanted something that could be dinner and ceremony at once. This Autumn Apple Chicken does exactly that: it carries the sweetness and warmth I associate with Rosh Hashanah into a dish that feeds you properly, the way a new year should.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
2 medium tart apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture evenly over both sides of each chicken breast.
Sear the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and sear for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Soften the onion and apples. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the same skillet. Once melted, add the sliced onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the apple slices and cook for another 2 minutes.
Build the sauce. Stir in the brown sugar and apple cider, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Braise the chicken. Return the seared chicken breasts to the skillet, nestling them among the apples and onions. Spoon some of the sauce over the top. Cover loosely with a lid or foil and cook over medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F).
Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the apple and onion mixture over the top. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired. Serve with rice, roasted vegetables, or crusty bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Autumn Apple Chicken — The First Apples of the Season, Made Into Something New