Creamy Apple Bacon Chicken

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, either whole or cut into pieces
* 2 Medium apples, cut into pieces
* ¼ cup apple juice (see below for alternatives)
* ¼ cup chicken broth
* 2/3 cup heavy cream
* 2 Tablespoons oil plus one more of oil, butter, or bacon grease
* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 4 -6 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
* Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

1) Heat 1 to 2 Tablespoons fat in pan. I don't like to use more than half bacon grease, as it burns. Lightly brown apple slices in pan. You don't want them to be too soft, just to the point where you can start to easily put a fork in them. ***Remove apples. (they will get mushy if you don't)

2) Add another Tablespoon of oil, and brown chicken on both sides. The chicken probably won't be cooked through at this point, which is OK. Push chicken to one side or to the edges. Add the chicken broth, which should deglaze the pan. Add the rest of the liquids and herbs and simmer until reduced and chicken is cooked through. (If you use chicken broth again instead of apple juice add 2 - 3 table spoons of sugar. You can use splenda) *** see notes

3) Add apples back into pan. Mix well, covering apples with sauce and reheating apples

4) Serve with crumbled bacon bits sprinkled over the top.

Notes:

One-quarter cup apple juice has 7 grams of sugar, spread over 3 servings. This is less apple juice than any container you can buy, so I will sometimes just add water or chicken broth and zero-carb sweetener to the sauce, or even apple-flavored herb tea.

The chicken breasts can be either left whole, cut in half, or cut into bite-sized pieces. I like the bite-sized pieces for taste, but use the larger pieces when looks are more important. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides