Healthy Chicken With Pear and Leek Sauce
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into palm-sized pieces
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (15 ounce) can pears (halved, in juice)
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cranberry sauce (or currant jelly)
- 1⁄4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
directions
- Place sliced leek in a colander, rinse and drain well.
- Cut the pear halves into chunks, reserving the juice in the can.
- Season cut chicken with garlic powder and (optional) salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 t oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook chicken in skillet until golden brown and no longer pink in the center (about 4-5 minutes per side).
- Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and cover with tent of foil to keep warm.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining oil and sliced leek, cooking for a few minutes until leek starts to brown and get soft.
- Add pear, 1/3 cup broth and 1/4 cup of juice from canned pears and simmer for several minutes.
- While pear and broth is simmering, whisk the cornstarch and 2/3 cup broth in a small bowl.
- Add cranberry sauce (or current jelly, whichever you prefer) and stir on medium heat until melted.
- Stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring and cook until thickened (only a minute or two).
- Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce.
- Serve sprinkled with walnuts.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>I am now living in Massachusetts outside of Boston in the family homestead. We're enjoying having four seasons again, after spending 15 years living in Texas. I spent our first year in MA as a stay-at-home mom, taking care of our multi-generational family and really expanded my cooking skills and I was able to try alot of new recipes. Now I'm back to work (social work/manager at an Eldercare agency) so I'm now cooking the quicker recipes much more often. We sit down to dinner together every night (except maybe once on the weekend when DH and I leave the kids with my mom -- one of the perks of living in Massachusetts instead of Texas!). <br /><br />I like to focus on 'real' foods (the less processed the better), lots of veggies and cutting out the extra calories without cutting out flavor. My general dinner menu rule is 1 protein, 1 pasta/rice/grain, and 3 vegetables (typically at least one green and one orange). My youngest has been known to say, Hey, where's the third veggie? when I get lazy.</p>