Apple Juice Chicken

This dish was basically my mother's signature dish when we were kids. It was, by far, the most complex, "fancy" meal on her menu. We coined the name "Apple Juice Chicken" ourselves, but the recipe originally came from my Aunt Donna, I believe. Now, I'm claiming it as my own.

Apple Juice Chicken is breaded and baked chicken topped with a thick sauce of breadcrumbs, apple juice, and onion. Here's how to make it.

Start by cleaning chicken breasts, removing the skin and fat. Then, in one bowl, wisk an egg or two with a touch of water to create an egg dip. In another bowl, mix a couple cups of unseasoned or seasoned breadcrumbs (I found whole wheat breadcrumbs!), a tablespoon each of garlic powder and oregano, and some grated parmesean cheese (straight out of the shaker!). You're going to coat the chicken in egg, then roll it in the breadcrumb mixture until all of the chicken is covered. Placed the crumbed chicken in a baking dish (a casserole dish of your choosing). Be sure to spray the casserole dish for easier clean-up!

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You're going to bake the chicken for about fifteen minutes. While that's happening, mix the remaining breadcrumbs (add more if you need to) with some apple juice until you have a loose, runny sauce. Toss in onions. After the fifteen-minute bake, pull the chicken out, and pour the apple juice mixture over the chicken. Bake for another ten to fifteen minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.

For me, this dish always brings me back to my youth. In fact, I often cook it for family gatherings where my brother and/or sister will be present because I know how much all of us like it. But, here's the rub. When we were kids, my brother liked his chicken without any topping, so Mom baked his breaded breast separately. My sister, alas, did not like the onions but did like the apple juice mix, so Mom always left a breast with no onion. Thankfully, this is not a difficult recipe to problem-solve, if you have picky eaters. To this day, when I make Apple Juice Chicken during my visits to Florida, I have to make it three ways because my sister still doesn't eat the onions, and her husband likes his breaded chicken naked of the sauce.

What I love about this dish, besides the memories it brings back, is the fragrance of the warm apple juice and the crunch of the onions on top. It's a sweet, flavorful way to serve chicken, and most of us have the ingredients in our cupboards and fridges right now. If you're looking for something new, give this a try. And let me know what you think-- with fork in hand.