Balsamic Chicken With Pears
"This is from the diet recipe section on whatscookingamerica.com and they credit the recipe as adapted from the cookbook The Convent Cook, by Maria Tisdall."
photo by COOKGIRl
- Ready In:
- 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 6 (3 -4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 cup chicken broth, low sodium and organic preferred
- 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1⁄4 cup dried tart cherry
directions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
- One at a time, place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap.
- Using a meat mallet, carefully pound the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness of approximately 1/2-inch.
- Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the chicken and saute, turning once, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a platter, cover, and keep warm.
- To the same pan, add the shallot and saute over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until soft; decrease heat to medium and add the pears.
- Continue sauteing, stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes, until the pears are soft and golden brown.
- To prepare the sauce, combine chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Pour over the pear mixture; add the cherries. Increase heat to high and simmer, stirring frequently for 6 to 8 minutes or until the sauce thicksn slightly.
- Return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Bring the mixture back to a simmer; decrease heat to medium.
- Cook for 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (juices will run clear when cut with the tip of a knife).
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove chicken from heat.
- Place the chicken on individual serving plates or on a large platter.
- Using a slotted spoon, mound the fruit over the top.
- Spoon the sauce over the fruit and around the chicken.
- Serve immediately.
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Reviews
-
Saw this in Reviewed, and knew we had a pear (to be used in photo of another recipe), so cut this down for 2 chicken breasts. I probably cut too much of the liquid, since my mashed potatoes didn't need to soak up anything. The taste was good - love shallots and balsamic- and not too sweet from the pear. I, too, had to use craisins instead of dried cherries - but I think the additional tartness was good. I will save this to make again. Thanks for posting. -
My husband and I had this for dinner last night and he said that this is a keeper. Instead of the dried tart cherries I use dried cranberries that I had on hand. It was easy to prepare and I served it with mashed potatoes that helped soak up the sauce. I will be making this again.
Tweaks
-
Saw this in Reviewed, and knew we had a pear (to be used in photo of another recipe), so cut this down for 2 chicken breasts. I probably cut too much of the liquid, since my mashed potatoes didn't need to soak up anything. The taste was good - love shallots and balsamic- and not too sweet from the pear. I, too, had to use craisins instead of dried cherries - but I think the additional tartness was good. I will save this to make again. Thanks for posting.
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My husband and I had this for dinner last night and he said that this is a keeper. Instead of the dried tart cherries I use dried cranberries that I had on hand. It was easy to prepare and I served it with mashed potatoes that helped soak up the sauce. I will be making this again.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I live in a small town in Oregon, still awaiting our first stop light. I work in a neighboring town as a small animal veterinarian, part-time. I have a four year old daughter and a 2 year old son. I have two large horses, a miniature horse, one dog and one cat. My husband and I enjoy anything in the out of doors. Besides spending time with family and our animals, my family and I enjoy being involved in our church and spending time with friends.
Although many of my recipes posted are of desserts I like to make for family or friends, I have for the last several years ascribed to a healthier lifestyle...eating lots of protein, veggies and fruits. No, I am not a low carber....I eat the right carbs....brown rice, whole wheat bread and all in moderation. I do have several recipes posted that I use often that adhere to these guidelines. When you combine eating nutrient dense foods with monitoring your caloric intake, you can't help but be healthy! There is an awesome free website that you can use along with Zaar to help meet these goals. It is www.calorie-count.com. It takes a day or two to learn how to use it...but it is a fantastic resource for anyone wanting to analyze what they eat and figure out what your caloric expenditures and allowances should be. Like Zaar it also had a wonderful community of people with a common interest...staying healthy while enjoying foods. OK...enough of the plug...but I really do love that website!
Zaar has been great for finding recipes that fit this lifestyle...many recipes can simply be modified to be healthy. The variety this gives us has made the difference in getting the whole family to eat that way....that's right...I don't think my daughter has tasted white bread more than two to three times in her life!!! On all four of her birthdays she turned up her nose at the cake I baked her (a once a year exception)....which made me so happy!!
So thank you Zaar....for contributing to our healthy lifestyle...couldn't do it without you!!!
