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Meals will appear in no time with hands-off cooking

Sharon Thompson McClatchy Newspapers

If you can’t seem to get a handle on dinner in 30 minutes or fewer, try another method: hands-off cooking.

This isn’t anything new. For centuries people have slow-simmered stews and spit-roasted meats. What makes this style of cooking popular now is that the recipes call for relatively short prep time followed by unattended cooking.

Ann Martin Rolke is the author of “Hands-Off Cooking: Low Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People” (Wiley, $17.95), and her recipes are for those who like the idea of home-cooked meals without standing over a stove. Rolke developed recipes that don’t have to be sautéed, stirred or watched.

The prep time for Rolke’s recipes varies depending on your swiftness in the kitchen, your organization of equipment, and whether you use partially prepared ingredients. She recommends keeping basic ingredients on hand.

“If you make one big trip to stock up every couple of weeks, you’ll only need to replace items as you use them, but you should always have something that can be useful,” Rolke said.

One-Pan Chicken with Mustard-Cider Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups apple cider

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup diced red onion

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine cider, vinegar, mustard, cornstarch, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir to blend.

Put the chicken in the hot skillet, smooth side down, scatter the onion over, and pour the cider mixture on top.

Cover the pan, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately, with some of the sauce.

Stress saver: If you use room-temperature cider, check the chicken after 15 minutes. Cold cider slows down the cooking time somewhat.

Eye appeal: Red onion adds a better color than white or yellow onion, but any of them will taste good.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 208 calories, 3 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated, 15 percent fat calories), 27 grams protein, 15.5 grams carbohydrate, 72 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 302 milligrams sodium.