Chickens
By Cat, Feb 2018 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
Chicken cutlets are quick and easy recipes that make a great presentation. Instead of pounding the chicken breasts into cutlets, I prefer to slice the breasts crosswise, about ½ inch thick, then dust with flour. See my Preparing Chicken Cutlets page for more detail about both methods.
Sage and dried plums is a great Mediterranean flavor and texture combination with chicken.
See also: 1. Poultry menu; 2. Brining Chicken; 3. Homemade Chicken Broth; 4. Steamed Couscous or Saffron-Raisin Quinoa (as Couscous Substitute); 5. Braised Greens (About)
Chicken Cutlets with Dried Plums, Sage and Balsamic
This recipe is adapted from one on My Recipes blog (1). The original serves 4; I’ve adapted it to serve 2, and to use more healthful ingredients
Ingredients & Equipment
- Prep:
- 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, brined
- 3 tsp chopped fresh sage, divided
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion (about ½ large) or 1 large/2 small leeks
- ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt (only if you don’t brine the chicken)
- freshly ground black pepper, divided
- Cook:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup dry white wine, such as vermouth
- ¼ – ½ cup homemade chicken broth
- 6 – 8 pitted dried plums, halved – or even more!
- scant tsp balsamic vinegar
- Equipment:
- bowl for brining chicken
- cast iron skillet
Method
- Prep: Brine chicken breasts 30 – 60 minutes; rinse and pat dry, then prepare as cutlets (see Preparing Chicken Cutlets for details, including coating them lightly with unbleached white flour before proceeding with the recipe).
- While chicken is brining, chop the fresh sage, and halve the dried plums; set aside separately.
- Slice onion and/or leek thinly and set aside (if using leek, first slice once lengthwise to wash between the layers, then slice thinly cross-wise).
- Sprinkle brined and floured (optional) chicken with half of the chopped sage, freshly ground black pepper (to taste), plus salt (if you didn’t brine the chicken).
- Cook: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
- Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil in pan. Add onion/leek and cook 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in wine and broth; bring to a boil. Add remaining sage and dried plums to pan; cook 4 minutes or until mixture thickens. Season with a pinch of freshly ground pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
- Add cooked cutlets back to skillet, and toss with the cooked plum mixture; serve.
- Serving suggestion: Serve with couscous or rice and braised green beans or kale. Or use my recipe for Saffron-Raisin Quinoa (as Couscous Substitute), but omit the raisins since the dish is made with dried plums.
Testing:
2/11/18: Made as half recipe using one half-breast (brined and sliced into cutlets), 2 Tbsp coconut oil, ¼ sweet onion, 1 Tbsp sage, chopped, 4 dried plums, 2 Tbsp vermouth, ¼ cup broth, and 1 tsp balsamic. Needed a bit more water. Served with steamed wild rice, braised green beans and simmered beet. Result: Excellent! Nice combo of flavors and texture. This is a keeper.
4/12/19: Made as written (2 servings), using a 10 oz half-breast (instead of two 6 oz half-breasts), and I added chopped garlic with the sliced onion. I used 1 tsp balsamic, but I think I could have used more. Also the dried plums were quite small and could have used more. Served with steamed wild rice and a large salad of greens, tomato and gorgonzola with basil balsamic dressing. Result: Delicious!
12/13/19: Used a 14-oz boneless, skinless breast so used full recipe as written, except: used 12 dried plums; about 2 Tbsp chopped and lightly packed fresh sage from my garden; ¼ cup dry vermouth; ¼ cup chicken stock plus ¼ cup water with a pinch of powdered vegetable broth; and 1½ tsp balsamic vinegar. Also used a scant cup of thinly sliced leek instead of onion, and 1 large clove garlic, sliced thinly. Needed to add more water, to have enough for all the chicken. Could have used more plums, too. Result: So delicious, and I loved the leeks in this dish more than onion.
References:
- My Recipes blog: myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-with-dried-plums-sage
