Apple Thyme Chicken

I love to grill. I love everything about it - the smell of the charcoal burning, the fact that it generally represents warm weather, the flavor that food can only get from cooking on a grill, that it is something my husband and I enjoy to do together... I love it! I realized recently that I only have a few cookbooks that have only a few recipes for the grill in them. Solution: get a new cookbook! I could spend hours in the cookbook section of a book store. It was hard for me to settle on only one, but I think I made an excellent choice. I got Taste of Home: Backyard Grilling - 330 recipes for the grill! I have another Taste of Home cookbook and have been real happy with it. I haven't seen a recipe yet in this new cookbook that doesn't look incredible!

This recipe was very tasty! I really like the flavor combination of chicken and apples. Yum! The marinade adds a lot of flavor to the chicken, and the sauce is also really good. Grilling the apples added a nice touch to everything! It was very simple to put together. I do love an easy, delicious meal!

Apple Thyme Chicken
Taste of Home: Backyard Grilling
Published by Reiman Media Group, Inc. in 2006.

Yield: 4 servings

6 tbsp apple juice
6 tbsp lemon juice
4 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
4 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
2 medium Golden Delicious or other all-purpose apples, peeled and quartered
1 tbsp honey
Sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup apple juice

1. In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients; mix well. Pour half of the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.
2. Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Dip apples in reserved marinade; set aside. Combine the honey with the remaining marinade. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, basting frequently with the honey marinade. Grill apples, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes, basting and turning frequently or until lightly browned.
3. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch, thyme and apple juice until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice grilled apples; stir in sauce. Serve with chicken.