Chicken with Sautéed Blackberry Sauce & Steamed Potatoes

the recipe uses a classic technique called deglazing, which is essentially the first step in making a sauce in the same pan following a sauté. in short, you add a little liquid, then use a gentle scrape of your spoon or spatula to release the skillet's browned bits into the liquid. easy and TASTY!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound small potatoes (red, white or combination), scrubbed and halved
4 six-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup 100% pomegranate or blueberry-pomegranate juice **
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

**i didn't have either so i just sliced up an orange and used fresh-squeezed OJ and ran it through a strainer to remove the pulpies (:

 

PREPARATION:

1. fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and fit with a steam basket. place potatoes in a steamer basket and bring to boil on high heat. cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes depending on size of potatoes.

 

2. meanwhile, season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. in a large skillet or sauté pan (not nonstick), heat oil on medium. add chicken and cook for 6 minutes per side or until  cooked through, cooking in batches if necessary. transfer chicken to serving plates and let rest for five minutes.

3. meanwhile, place same skillet on medium-high heat. add shallots and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender, about 1 minute. stir in blackberries and juice, deglazing pan by scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet with a heatproof spoon or spatula. cook until liquid is reduced to a thin layer, 1 to 2 minutes. remove from heat.

4. top chicken with berry mixture and arrange potatoes alongside, dividing evenly. sprinkle potatoes with scallion and serve!

 

i served mine with a spinach and cucumber salad tossed with fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil and salt and fresh-ground black pepper!

nutrients per serving (1 chicken breast, 3 tbsp berry sauce, 4 ounces potatoes)

calories: 388 / total fat: 9g / sat. fat: 1.5g / monounsaturated fat: 6g / polyunsaturated fat: 1 g / carbs: 31g / fiber: 3g / sugars: 7g / protein: 43g / sodium: 363mg / cholesterol: 94mg.

BUT -- the good thing about using any fresh-squeezed juice is that you eliminate TONS of sugar and some extra junk you don't really want to deal with (: also, i only used 1/2 of a chicken breast and served with the salad instead (:

VIOLA AND HAPPY EATING!