Chicken in Pearadise
Submitted by sweetk
Golden chicken breasts smothered in a blended pear sauce with orange, soy, and ginger, then plated with red pepper strips and sliced pears. An elegant, fruit-forward dinner that looks as stunning as it tastes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
20 minREADY
45 minWho knew pears and chicken could be such a power couple?
A ripe pear gets blended with orange juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, orange marmalade, garlic, ginger, and allspice into a silky, sweet-savory sauce that coats golden-seared chicken breasts like liquid velvet.
The presentation is absolutely gorgeous: a bed of green leaf lettuce, fanned pear slices and julienned red pepper strips around the edges, and sauced chicken in the center, topped with toasted chopped almonds.
This is the kind of dinner that earns a standing ovation at the table (it was a recipe contest finalist, after all).
Chef Tips
- Use ripe but firm pears like Bartlett or Anjou so the sauce blends smooth without being mushy
- Brush the sliced pear garnish with lemon juice immediately to keep them from browning
- Sauté the red pepper strips just until tender-crisp; they should still have a bit of snap for contrast
- The crushed red pepper in the sauce adds a subtle warmth; bump it up if you like more heat with your fruit
Ingredients
Directions
Pear Sauce:
Peel one of the pears.
In a blender or food processor, place the pear, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, orange marmalade, garlic, ginger, and allspice.
Process until smooth, and set aside.
Red Pepper Garnish:
Place the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the red pepper strips and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the peppers are tender crisp.
Remove the peppers from the pan; set aside and keep warm.
Chicken:
To the same pan, add the chicken and sprinkle with a little salt.
Cook chicken, turning, about 6 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown on all sides.
Add pear mixture and crushed red pepper.
Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender.
Uncover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thick.
Slice remaining pears and brush with lemon juice, to prevent them from turning brown.
Place the leaf lettuce on a warm serving platter.
Arrange the pear slices and red pepper strips around the edges of the platter.
Place the chicken breasts in the center of the platter, top with pear sauce.
Garnish with almonds and parsley.
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