Dishing Sisters

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry than the strawberry.” ~William Allan Butler

It’s still strawberry season and as much as I love those juicy, bright red, deliciously dimpled bites, I get a bit bored with using them in shortcakes, pies and fruit salads. Ever thought about them as a savory sauce over meat??

After visiting West Michigan for the weekend I saw an idea that made my mouth water…Strawberry-Balsamic Chicken! So of course being the impatient food freak I am, I went directly from the garage to the kitchen and whipped me up a batch…MMMMMM! Now this you gotta try!

Strawberry-Balsamic Chicken

3-4 tbs olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped almonds

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbs fresh rosemary chopped

Strawberry Sauce*

1 lb fresh strawberries

2 tbs sugar

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

Start by making the strawberry sauce. Mix all the sauce ingredients and roast the strawberries, in a single a layer, in the oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring and basting 3-4 times throughout the roasting. (This seems like a lot of work/time for the sauce, but it’s worth it! The roasting makes a wonderful smoky jam-like sauce that would work on a number of dishes…even desserts for an extra pop!) You can make this ahead too, if needed.

*Ok, short on time? You can cheat, we won’t tell and use strawberry preserves…just heat up in a sauce pan and stir in a couple tbs of balsamic vinegar, tbs of water and let simmer until thick and incorporated. Isn’t quite as good as the smoky goodness of the roasted strawberries, and it’s a bit more sweet, but it’s tasty and works in a pinch!

Now for the chicken…

In a large skillet, heat oil over med-hi heat. Season chicken with S&P and dredge in almonds.

Cook chicken in hot oil 5-6 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm with foil or in warm oven.

Reduce heat in skillet to medium. Add chicken broth, 1/2 cup roasted strawberry mixture, vinegar and rosemary. Simmer uncovered until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Place chicken on a serving dish and pour balsamic sauce over top.

Eat well!

~ Courtesy West Michigan’s Food For Thought

Posted in For The Carnivores


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