Chicken Apple Cheddar Muffins

People seemed to like the Turkey Apple Cheddar Panini I posted the other day, so I thought I would share another savory apple application with you today.  Similar idea: poultry, apples, and cheddar cheese with some kind of bread element.  These are savory muffins.  They are perfect for using up leftover shredded or cubed chicken breast and they make a very tasty fall dinner.  I had wanted to make them ever since seeing them on Bcmom's Kitchen during our SRC reveal in March. Finally got around to it last week and I'm glad I did because they were terrific.  Here's my slight adaptation.

Chicken Apple Cheddar Muffins

Ingredients:

2 eggs

¼ cup canola oil

1 cup milk

2 cups flour

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1½ cups chicken, diced or shredded

1 cup apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.  Spray 16 muffin cups with baking spray.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then mix in the oil and milk.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and smoked paprika.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until barely combined.  Fold in the chicken, apple, and ½ cup of the cheddar cheese.  Fill muffin tins with the batter and top each with remaining cheddar.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Anna put broccoli in hers, but I decided to leave that out and do veggies on the side instead.  I also increased the smoked paprika a bit because I am slightly obsessed. :)

These muffins are so good!  The flavors all combine to create a masterpiece.  I happened to use chicken that had been cooked in a mesquite marinade, which gave it a slightly smoky element that went well with the smoked paprika.  But any kind of chicken would be good in here.  The apple isn't super prominent; in fact, that's the one thing my husband said about it; he thought there could have been more apple.  But he has a colossal sweet tooth.  I thought they were just perfect.  

I actually got 12 regular muffins and 2 jumbos out of this recipe.  I was too lazy to go down to the basement for one of my other regular muffin tins, and used the jumbo instead.  So I am guessing when I say it makes 16 regular muffins.  The one in the pics above is a jumbo.

Come back on Thursday for a great Halloween cookie recipe!