Jul 02, 2005
It's a good base recipe, but after reading the reviews, I knew it needed kicking up a notch. So I did the following: For the stuffing, I used red delicious apples, about 3/4 C, 3 T crumbs, and 1/4 C sharp cheddar, shredded. It smelled bland. So I added about 3-4 T brown sugar, and somewhere around 1 t cinnamon. Then, I added a few dashes of my personal spice blend (which is seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, oregano, basil and a dash of thyme), and it STILL needed something. McCormick Curry Powder! A couple of dashes and it was exactly what I wanted. The smell can only be described as odd and complex. I browned them in olive oil instead of butter. Doubled liquids, I used herbed chicken bouillion in place of water, and the wine was Turning Leaf Chardonnay, 2003 Reserve. I had a handful of apple chunks and slices left over, so in the last 10 minutes of simmering, I threw these into the sauce to cook, and added a couple T of brown sugar. I removed the chicken to plates when it was done, placed the cooked apple slices on top, stirred the sauce over high heat, adding a bit more brown sugar, and the sugar began to carmelize, thickening it nicely without the need for flour. I served with baby carrots and garlic bread. The sauce was an EXCELLENT complement to the carrots, and the chicken was the perfect balance of sweet and savory. If you try this method, make SURE to use McCormick curry powder! I will definitely be making this again ... MY way!
—SIMPLYRAINAH