Baked chicken with Bramley apples & orange glaze

A delicious, simple chicken dish with a fruity tang created by television celebrity chef Phil Vickery

Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 25 mins
Serves: 4

What you need:

4 corn fed free range chicken medium breasts, skin removed
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
175mls orange juice
2 large Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces.
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil

What you do:

Heat the oven to 220°C, Gas 7.
Using a rolling pin crush the black peppercorns, place these along with the spices, oregano and garlic into a bowl large enough to take the chicken breasts and mix well.
Add the orange juice, olive oil and honey and mix well.
Add the chicken and coat in the marinade leave for 10 minutes.
Drain then place the chicken into a baking tray, bake in the pre heated oven for 20 -25 minutes. The chicken must be cooked and juicy, but not overcooked, dry and stringy.
Meanwhile pop the marinade into a saucepan and cook over a gentle heat until thick and syrupy. Add the apples just at the end to cook through, but not break up completely
Cut each chicken breast into 3 and drizzle over the reduced glaze.
Serve with plain boiled rice or mashed potatoes with a few spring onions stirred through at the last moment.

Handy cook's tip:

This is a simple but very tasty way of cooking chicken. It can be made well in advance and cooked at the last moment. If you can leave the chicken to marinate overnight then all the better.

This method also works very well with monkfish and salmon, eaten hot straight from the oven or left to cool, and eaten as a cold supper or lunch dish.

Bramley Apples

The Bramley is rightly recognised by professional chefs and home cooks alike as the best apple for cooking. Grown only in Britain, the Bramley’s unique qualities make it one of the most versatile ingredients, equally at home in a savoury stir fry as a traditional apple pie.