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Balsamic Baked Chicken and Pears



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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 11 2015, 4:18 am
This was a nice simple preparation. And great to take advantage if pears being in season. So many apple dishes with chicken so using pears instead is a good variation. Easily doubles or triples.

Balsamic Chicken and Pears

Easy to make for a weeknight. Very tasty blend of sweet and tart. I served it with a salad as suggested and I also roasted some potatoes.

Balsamic Chicken and Pears

2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme (was plenty)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sprig of sage (optional) or thyme would work well

Preheat oven to 450F.

Place pear and onion slices in a single layer in the 9x13" baking dish.

Combine olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Spoon half of of mixture over pears and onions. (I tossed the pears and onions in the mixture that I spooned over them as it really is only about 1/2 tbsp.) Cover dish tightly with foil; bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place chicken in remaining mixture, turning to coat on all sides. Wash hands.

Uncover pear and onion slices; arrange chicken on top and drizzle with vinegar. Discard remaining oil mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until chicken is done (internal temp 170F) (Sorry, I'm not cooking any chicken to 170F. That meat would be bone dry. It only took around 15 mins to get to done for the breasts and they were still juicy. I used the touch the meat method to check for doneness.)

Garnish with sage, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
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3mitzvos




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 11 2015, 5:46 am
Yum. Sounds delish! I'm gonna try this. Thanks for posting!
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 11 2015, 8:48 am
Recipe sounds delicious. Shouldn't the wash hands instruction be before you start?
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bigblueyes




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 11 2015, 8:53 am
Will b trying! Thanks for posting.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 11 2015, 9:01 am
Squishy wrote:
Recipe sounds delicious. Shouldn't the wash hands instruction be before you start?


LOL LOL I got the recipe from a friend and it actually had instructions to wash before which I took out when I saved but I missed the second hand washing. I think she must have gotten it from a website for people who never cooked. LOL LOL It also specified the brand of chicken breasts. Very Happy I think some of the recipes coming from "brands" make no assumptions about the knowledge of the end user with a recipe. Very Happy
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 11 2015, 9:08 am
Amarante wrote:
LOL LOL I got the recipe from a friend and it actually had instructions to wash before which I took out when I saved but I missed the second hand washing. I think she must have gotten it from a website for people who never cooked. LOL LOL It also specified the brand of chicken breasts. Very Happy I think some of the recipes coming from "brands" make no assumptions about the knowledge of the end user with a recipe. Very Happy


It was so funny to see 'wash hands' included in the instructions. I've never encountered that before!
Anyway, the recipe looks great. I love thyme with chicken,
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 11 2015, 9:11 am
etky wrote:
It was so funny to see 'wash hands' included in the instructions. I've never encountered that before!
Anyway, the recipe looks great. I love thyme with chicken,


I know I know. At first I didn't see it and then I thought hilarious because my friend is a good cook and certainly washes her hands after handling chicken. And since I've cooked with her, I know she washes BEFORE starting to cook. Who doesn't. The only time I skip is when the first step is to wash the veggies. Very Happy

But I do find that sometimes recipes assume that the end user knows absolutely nothing about the basics.
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bigblueyes




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 12 2015, 11:20 am
Made it tonight for dinner with a few tweaks, doubled it all bc it made very little marinade...,,was delicious!!! Thanks so much!
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 12 2015, 11:42 am
bigblueyes wrote:
Made it tonight for dinner with a few tweaks, doubled it all bc it made very little marinade...,,was delicious!!! Thanks so much!


How did you tweak it?
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 17 2015, 7:14 am
I made this recipe with chicken burgers instead of breasts when I accidentally defrosted chopped chicken breasts. I made oriental chicken burgers. I followed everything else and served it with a sweet unagi sauce - like you get when you order sushi.

The result was so fabulous that I have to share.
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pelle




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 17 2015, 7:43 am
Amarante wrote:
This was a nice simple preparation. And great to take advantage if pears being in season. So many apple dishes with chicken so using pears instead is a good variation. Easily doubles or triples.

Balsamic Chicken and Pears

Easy to make for a weeknight. Very tasty blend of sweet and tart. I served it with a salad as suggested and I also roasted some potatoes.

Balsamic Chicken and Pears

2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme (was plenty)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sprig of sage (optional) or thyme would work well

Preheat oven to 450F.

Place pear and onion slices in a single layer in the 9x13" baking dish.

Combine olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Spoon half of of mixture over pears and onions. (I tossed the pears and onions in the mixture that I spooned over them as it really is only about 1/2 tbsp.) Cover dish tightly with foil; bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place chicken in remaining mixture, turning to coat on all sides. Wash hands.

Uncover pear and onion slices; arrange chicken on top and drizzle with vinegar. Discard remaining oil mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until chicken is done (internal temp 170F) (Sorry, I'm not cooking any chicken to 170F. That meat would be bone dry. It only took around 15 mins to get to done for the breasts and they were still juicy. I used the touch the meat method to check for doneness.)

Garnish with sage, if desired. Makes 4 servings.


I made this for shabbos. it was great. thank you for sharing.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 17 2015, 8:10 am
Squishy wrote:
I made this recipe with chicken burgers instead of breasts when I accidentally defrosted chopped chicken breasts. I made oriental chicken burgers. I followed everything else and served it with a sweet unagi sauce - like you get when you order sushi.

The result was so fabulous that I have to share.


LOL LOL Glad that recipe inspired you but your post reminds me of the swaps I do with some cooking friends when they send me a recipe to try but they have made so many changes that I am not sure whether to go with their version or the original version. Very Happy Very Happy

But cooking is an art and not a science in that recipes can be altered, modified tweaked to suit the palate and pantry of the cook and the results can be just as good and maybe better than original recipe. Mark Bittman's new cookbook - Kitchen Matrix - is very much in this spirit as it provides a basic recipe and then provides information on how to make variations. Cooks Illustrated recipes are completely the opposite because they are theoretically the result of hundreds of tests and represent the "best" possible recipe for that dish.

Baking is more of a science since the end result depends on chemistry so tweaking a baking recipe is more problematic unless you really understand the interactions of the chemicals being used.
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 17 2015, 10:12 am
Amarante wrote:
LOL LOL Glad that recipe inspired you but your post reminds me of the swaps I do with some cooking friends when they send me a recipe to try but they have made so many changes that I am not sure whether to go with their version or the original version. Very Happy Very Happy

But cooking is an art and not a science in that recipes can be altered, modified tweaked to suit the palate and pantry of the cook and the results can be just as good and maybe better than original recipe. Mark Bittman's new cookbook - Kitchen Matrix - is very much in this spirit as it provides a basic recipe and then provides information on how to make variations. Cooks Illustrated recipes are completely the opposite because they are theoretically the result of hundreds of tests and represent the "best" possible recipe for that dish.

Baking is more of a science since the end result depends on chemistry so tweaking a baking recipe is more problematic unless you really understand the interactions of the chemicals being used.


LOL. It was more an accident then an inspiration. The resulting recipe could be served in a top restaurant which is why I felt the need to share.

I made your chicken/white bean salad exactly as shown. Your chulent recipes have some if the same elements as mine.

Would you mind telling a bit about your interest in cooking. Is there a professional element?
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 17 2015, 10:53 am
Squishy wrote:
LOL. It was more an accident then an inspiration. The resulting recipe could be served in a top restaurant which is why I felt the need to share.

I made your chicken/white bean salad exactly as shown. Your chulent recipes have some if the same elements as mine.

Would you mind telling a bit about your interest in cooking. Is there a professional element?


Not professional at all although I am a semi pro eater. Lol

I always had a bit of interest beyond just getting food on the table especially since we are so limited in trying food trends unless we are prepared to make ourselves at home.

But about ten years ago, my time freed up and I started watching cooking shows like Americas Test Kitchen and Alton Brown and it really taught me better techniques.

And then my best friend also became into it as a hobby and we would cook together at her house because she has a great kitchen and outdoor grill area. She was skeptical when I described the stir fry technique I learned from the Americas Test Kitchen until she tried it. :-)

So I like to,relax by reading cookbooks. I call them my food [filth] because there are certain recipes I just won't do like deep fat frying or fancy cake decorations.
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 4:33 am
Amarante wrote:
Not professional at all although I am a semi pro eater. Lol

I always had a bit of interest beyond just getting food on the table especially since we are so limited in trying food trends unless we are prepared to make ourselves at home.

But about ten years ago, my time freed up and I started watching cooking shows like Americas Test Kitchen and Alton Brown and it really taught me better techniques.

And then my best friend also became into it as a hobby and we would cook together at her house because she has a great kitchen and outdoor grill area. She was skeptical when I described the stir fry technique I learned from the Americas Test Kitchen until she tried it. :-)

So I like to,relax by reading cookbooks. I call them my food [filth] because there are certain recipes I just won't do like deep fat frying or fancy cake decorations.


Ha ha.

I really like your recipes. Do you try every recipe before you post? I would love to know if you have any great recipes for the chicken from soup. I make a lot of chicken stock as a base and no one cares for the chicken in my house. Also, I would be very appreciative if you would post your stir fry techniques.

Thank you.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 7:51 am
Squishy wrote:
Ha ha.

I really like your recipes. Do you try every recipe before you post? I would love to know if you have any great recipes for the chicken from soup. I make a lot of chicken stock as a base and no one cares for the chicken in my house. Also, I would be very appreciative if you would post your stir fry techniques.

Thank you.


I do cook recipes I post with a few exception when the recipe is so odd or compelling but not something I would probably make. I have a recipe for Red Velvet Challah which I would probably not make but might post. I don't make the same recipe more than once because it's just as easy to try a new recipe as make one. There are a few rare exceptions when the recipe was so good that it has become a tried and true. That's more likely with a recipe that's relatively easy and which I can have in the fridge - I keep my gazpacho going all summer and I've never found a recipe I like more than the one I use. I also repeat the Cooks Illustrated Roasted Sesame Green Beans a lot and a few others - one for a Szechuan Eggplant and the other for an Eggplant Caponata.

The Cooks Illustrated stir fry technique is intended to create the al dente restaurant version. A home cook is at a disadvantage because we don't generally have the extremely high BTU wok ranges used in a Chinese restaurant. However, by using this technique, the results are excellent

I'll post a recipe but they all follow the same principles

Slice the meat/chicken and marinate for about an hour in soy/sherry mixture. This adds flavor as well as slightly tenderizing the protein.

Use a good nonstick pan (I have a 14" pan I got from Macy's). A wok is useless for US kitchens because the surface at the bottom isn't large enough and the heat from a consumer stove isn't high enough to use the wok the way a professional chef does.

Critical is to cook the meat in batches allowing plenty of room because you want the meat to stir fry and not steam. If you cook all at once and crowd too much moisture is released and the meat is essentially steamed.

Remove the meat.

Now cook the vegetables - again you don't want to crowd the veggies because you want them stir fried and not steamed. Also, depending on which veggies you are using, add the ones that require the most cooking time (I.e. broccoli or carrots) first. You sauté and them add a small amount of water and cover and cook brief.

You then add the aromatics (I.e. garlic/ginger); the stir fry sauce which generally has a bit of cornstarch to thicken but not too much to make it goopy) and the meat and just briefly cook.

It's a bit more of a patchke than tossing everything in a pan but really not much. I generally prep everything in the afternoon - use a Mini Cuisinart for the ginger and garlic and so not much work when it's time to actually cook

Here's a recipe which illustrates the technique but it can be adapted to any stir fry since you essentially marinate the protein; stir fry the protein in small batches; take out - do the veggies separately and then add everything back with the sauce to heat briefly.


Teriyaki Stir-fried Beef with Green Beans and Shiitakes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recipe By: Cooks Illustrated
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar plus an additional 1 teaspoon
12 ounces flank steak, cut into 2-inch wide strips with grain, then sliced across grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon mirin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and halved
1/4 cup water
3 scallions, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, white and light green pieces quartered lengthwise

Directions:

1. Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar in medium bowl. Add beef, toss well, and marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring once. Meanwhile, whisk remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, broth, mirin, pepper flakes, and cornstarch in medium bowl. Combine garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon oil in small bowl.

2. Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of beef in single layer, breaking up clumps. Cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer beef to clean bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in skillet and repeat with remaining beef. Rinse skillet and dry with paper towels.

3. Add remaining tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet and heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add green beans and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add water and cover pan; continue to cook until green beans are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Uncover skillet and push vegetables to sides to clear center; add garlic-ginger mixture to clearing and cook, mashing with spatula, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Combine garlic-ginger mixture with vegetables. Return beef and any juices to skillet, add scallions, and stir to combine. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 30 seconds. Serve.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 8:16 am
I wanted to add that there really isn't much you can do with chicken that has been used for stock. It's really given its all as a contribution LOL.

There are a lot of recipes that don't use the whole chicken but just the bones. Or there are some chicken in the pot recipes which produce a better tasting chicken but that's because the chicken isn't being sacrificed to produce the soup. LOL

However, if you have chicken that has been used to make soup, it's probably best to repurpose it for a chicken salad - something that adds flavor and moisture. I have put the shredded chicken in Asian Cole Slaw and it rejuvenates the chicken because it soaks in the moisture - adds some taste to it and then I have a relatively healthy nosh in the fridge. It's not quite Chinese Chicken Salad but it's got the same flavors going on.
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