Monday 17 June 2013

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Pollo Glassato di Miele con Dragoncello, Uva, Finocchio & Mandorle
Honey-Glazed Tarragon Chicken with Grapes, Fennel & Almonds


Oh yes, this is a chicken dinner that is guaranteed to win over anyone... family, friends, the certain someone... I don't see how there is any way not to love this! Unless of course you happen to hate fennel, tarragon, grapes or almonds... or are allergic to any of the above... or Vegan... but otherwise- yes, you are all going to love this! ;-)

All kidding aside though, this is such a light, refreshing and tasty Summer meal, which would be perfect for a quick, light lunch or supper, but also elegant enough to serve for friends when entertaining. With a maximum of 15 minutes prep-time, you have simply got to like this! I mean... what's not to like?!?!


You may be aware of the fact that chickens do indeed have 2 breasts... and this was "the other one", after I made that yummy Persian dish yesterday evening. So it needed to be cooked and eaten and it needed to be cooked and eaten well! Which did not mean a lot of fuss or complication. I cut it into slices of around 1" thickness and sautéed them for 2-3 minutes on each side, at a high heat, along with a little finely chopped garlic- a half clove is plenty. I then added the juice of 1/2 a lime, 1 tablespoon of honey and enough white wine to cover the base of the frying pan. 

I seasoned with salt, pepper and a half teaspoon of mustard powder, then stirred everything together well, so that the honey dissolved, as it would otherwise become too hot, burn and ultimately become bitter. It didn't take long for the wine, honey and mustard to reduce down and for the chicken to begin to brown again... only this time it had absorbed all of those good flavors, become juicier because of the added liquid... and in 2-3 minutes time was perfect and delicious!


I served the simple, honey-glazed chicken on a bed of salad greens- simple iceberg in this case, with some sliced fennel, green seedless grapes, thinly sliced Spring onion and plenty of freshly plucked tarragon. Normally, tarragon does have such a strong and distinctive favor that I am a little bit cautious about using it, but the fresh anise flavor was perfect here. A great finishing touch was a handful of toasted almonds and a wonderful supper was complete! I know I say this at the end of each post... but just try it! Especially now that the Summer weather is finally here- kick back, chill out and enjoy!

No comments:

Post a Comment