serves 2 or 3
The beauty of this recipe is not just the gorgeous melding of flavors, but how quickly and easily I can throw it together all year round. Cut into finger-size strips, the chicken and very thinly sliced apples cook in only twenty minutes, during which time they miraculously produce a pan sauce that is fragrant and heady.
Even better, that sauce results from just a few kitchen staples. Along with the requisite garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, I added cilantro, an herb I adore year in and out. Then from the spice cabinet, I pulled out the coriander seeds, which I had no doubt would go perfectly well with the cilantro.
I tipped in some vermouth from the too-tall bottle in the fridge, and was about to stick everything in the oven when I started to worry that the subtle flavor of vermouth wouldn’t be lively enough to lift the dish. Then I remembered the words of my father when he counseled me on zipping up a scallop pan roast.
“Gin,” he said, “makes everything taste better.”
And it is certainly on friendly terms with vermouth. So I added a few drops.
Soon the kitchen was enveloped in an apple-and-curry-spice perfume. The dish was exotic and fragrant, with the coriander seeds adding a pleasing crunch against the tender apples. Twenty minutes in the oven created a martini-like alchemy, just right for dinner.
1 large or 2 small apples
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch strips
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white vermouth
1½ teaspoons gin
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, dill, or parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread or cooked rice, for serving
2. Core the apples and slice them as thinly as you can without getting out (or buying!) a mandoline (between ⅛ and ¼ inch is fine).
3. In a 9 × 13-inch pan, toss all the ingredients except 1 tablespoon of the cilantro (or dill or parsley). Spread the ingredients into one layer in the pan. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the apples are softened, about 20 minutes. Garnish with the reserved cilantro (or dill or parsley). The sauce will be thin, so serve with crusty bread or over rice to sop up the sauce.