One Pan - Cinnamon Apple Bacon ChickenInternational bacon day just so happens to fall on September 2nd, so this month I was originally going to make you guy’s bacon, egg, ham, and cheese…spicy Dijon stuffed croissants. Sounds amazing, right? But I burnt them, the bacon did not cook all the way through and they were far from picture-perfect. I stood there looking down at this disaster, as my husband laughed at me from the living room. My first reaction was, “Well now what?! I am supposed to submit this tomorrow!” Then I was upset at myself for waiting until the last minute to cook for this newsletter.

Finally, I started laughing. We might be only talking about croissants here, but they also symbolize a few common themes in my life this year… “Don’t take yourself too seriously” and “things do not always go as planned.” Now, should I be waiting until the last minute to get things done? Definitely not. (Character defect of mine every once in a while.) But do I have the ability to laugh at my mistakes, learn from them, and move on today? Absolutely. And as I mentioned before, 2020 has taught me to just roll with the punches, to not take myself so seriously and to not get so caught up with the outcomes of things.

This year has been challenging for so many of us! I had a canceled wedding, some major life changes, and have been trying to learn to live in this “new normal” or ours. Plans that I had made in 2019…? Long gone. But one thing recovery has given me is resilience. Recovery has given me the capacity to quickly recover from life’s difficulties, to learn from mistakes and to analyze character defects. Recovery has also given me the ability to take an inventory each day and decide where I could have done better.

Today I have the ability to look at what my part was in my daily events and then what things that I simply cannot change. So, I threw my burnt croissants out. Made a mental note to not wait until the last minute to cook next month, found a second recipe and voilà! This recipe was healthier and even more delicious than the first. And I definitely got a good laugh out of my smoking mistake.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound chicken breast, diced boneless, skinless
  • 1 teaspoon salt divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 slices thick-cut bacon chopped
  • 3 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 medium sweet potato peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 medium white onion chopped
  • 2 granny smith apples cored, and diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chicken stock divided

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium high heat, until hot and shimmering. Add the diced chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook until lightly brown and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plated lined with paper towels.
  • Reduce the pan heat to medium low. Add chopped bacon and cook until crisp and brown. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Transfer bacon to the plate that the chicken is on using a slotted spoon.
  • Increase the heat back to medium high. Add broccoli, sweet potato, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in the apples, garlic, thyme, and cinnamon. Cook 1 minute, then pour in 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook until the stock has evaporated. Add the chicken and remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock. Cooked until heated through. Then add the bacon and serve warm.