Apple Thyme Chicken is the perfect recipe for using up your fresh thyme and juicy apples!
Apple Thyme Chicken
This is one of my favorite dinner recipes to make when fall arrives because loads of apples magically appear all over the place in the grocery stores and farmer’s markets. It feels like the right thing to do to make as many apple recipes as possible!
This recipe has a very short list of ingredients. You’ll need chicken breasts, apples, shallot, thyme and balsamic glaze. Balsamic glaze can be located near the regular balsamic vinegar. It’s a syrupy reduced version of vinegar. If you don’t want to buy it, you can easily make it at home with the balsamic vinegar that you already have on hand.
How to make Balsamic Glaze:
Add balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan. Simmer until it reduces and begins to thicken like syrup. Let it cool before using in recipes. You can refrigerate leftovers (it’s great drizzled over tomatoes!)
Thyme is the fresh herb that I love the most. It lends incredible flavor to dishes, and it’s really easy to grow in your yard. I love to be able to go into the backyard and just pick what I need when I’m making dinner. This recipe calls for chopped fresh thyme to be sprinkled onto the chicken. I like to throw a few sprigs on top too before baking.
This wonderfully simple apple thyme chicken recipe is perfect for a lower fat, lower calorie dinner. The chicken breasts are simply salted & peppered, covered with sliced apples, and drizzled with balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of fresh thyme and chopped shallots.
The apples ooze a bit of their juices during baking, and that mixes with the balsamic for a small amount of syrupy sauce to spoon over the chicken before serving.
The chicken remains tender and moist as long as it’s not over-baked. I like to plug in a remote meat thermometer and pull it out at 165 degrees F. Baking time should be 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. If you pound out the breasts so that they’re a similar thickness, they’ll cook more evenly and will all be done at the same time.
This recipe is always a big hit with my family because, well… who doesn’t like apples? Baked sliced sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli round out this easy dinner. If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you will find a link to WW Points on the recipe card below. And if you’re not on any kind of diet, you’ll still enjoy this very flavorful fall-themed apple thyme chicken dinner recipe!
Here are a few more recipes using fresh thyme that you might enjoy:
- Sauteed Tomatoes with Thyme
- Salted Thyme Flatbread
- Grilled Chicken Thighs with Thyme and Lemon
- Whole Lemon Thyme Salad Dressing
- Rosemary Shrimp with Rosemary and Thyme
- Peach and Thyme Focaccia Bread
- Lemon- Thyme Spinach
- Goat Cheese with Olives, Lemon and Thyme
Apple Thyme Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (divided into 4 equal portions)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 or 2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and very thinly sliced
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ cup balsamic glaze
- fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer in the prepared dish.
- Arrange the apple slices over and around the chicken. Sprinkle with shallot and thyme; drizzle the balsamic glaze on top.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until chicken is opaque throughout; cut to test.
- Arrange the chicken on a platter and spoon the apples and juices on top. Garnish with fresh thyme, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme may be substituted for 1 tablespoon fresh.
- Pounding out the chicken breasts so that they're a bit more even in thickness assures more even cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
