Maple Walnut Chicken Thighs with Cheddar Apple Rice

I made this recipe the other day. The over all taste of it was great, however the original recipe only cooks the chicken in the skillet for 10 mins. Being naive I followed it blindly believing RR couldn't steer me wrong. Oh boy did she ever. The chicken was very undercooked (as any sane person would expect). So we ended up warming the chicken in the microwave for a few minutes each piece and it cooked it the rest of the way through. So should I make this again in the future (which I probably will as it was very yummy) I plan to bake the chicken in the oven after browning it in the skillet. So as you will see I have added the baking the chicken direction into this recipe for your convenience.

Ingredients:
1 cup walnut halves
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups long grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 Honeycrisp, Gala or Golden Delicious apple, peeled, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, packed
1/4 cup fresh dill, packed
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1 brick sharp white cheddar cheese (6 ounces), cut into small, 1/4 inch cubes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark maple syrup

Preparation:
Heat oven to 325°F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and roast until well toasted and fragrant, 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, one turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and season liberally with salt and black pepper. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Reserve grease.

(Increase oven heat to 375 degrees. Bake chicken on baking sheet in oven for 30mins.)

Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the skillet and add the vinegar. Cook, scraping up the pan drippings, then add the remaining 1/4 cup chicken stock, maple syrup and black pepper to taste. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and walnuts and spoon with the sauce. Loosely cover the pan with foil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cheddar-Apple Rice:

In a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice and toast for a minute or two. Add 2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the apple and simmer for 8 minutes.

While the rice cooks, using a food processor, pulse 1/4 cup chicken stock, the parsley, dill and 1/4 teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Stir into the rice during the last minute of cooking. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 1-2 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Transfer to a serving dish and stir in the cheese.

Serve the chicken, sauce and nuts with the rice alongside.