Twelve Candlelight Dinners: January

This post is the start of my series Twelve Candlelight dinners.  Each month I will post an easy meal for you and your sweetie.  So get the candlesticks people, and invest some time in your relationship.

This month's candlelight dinner is pomegranate caramelized chicken breast with sweet potatoes and spinach.

This is what you need to do:

 

Using a fork and poke wholes in the chicken breasts and sprinkle with kosher salt.*

Cover the chicken with tin foil, and place it in the oven at 350 degrees

until the edges or white and the center is still pink (about 10 minutes).*

Meanwhile, peel and chop one sweet potato into bite size pieces.

Then drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and add a little S + P.

Next, quarter a red onion and roughly dice.

Then, add 1/2 of the diced onions to your sweet potato mixture (reserve the other half),  toss,

and put into the oven on 450 degrees until the red onions are tender and the potatoes are golden.

Next, mix together a tablespoon of corn starch

and a tablespoon of vegetable oil.*

Remove the chicken from the oven, pat dry, 

and brush the cornstarch mixture on each side of the chicken breasts.*

Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden brown

and the center of the meat is not pink anymore.

While the chicken is caramelizing -- remove the seeds from 1/2 of a pomegranate

and place in a bowl with the reserved red onion.

Zest half a lemon and add the zest to the pomegranate seeds and onion.

After the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan and cover with tin foil. 

Your skillet should have a wonderful caramelized bottom like this.

Deglaze the skillet with a 1/2 cup of low sodium chicken broth and the juice of half of a lemon juice.

Finish the sauce with a pad of unsalted butter (1 tablespoon),

and remove from skillet.

 Add a bunch of spinach to the same skillet

 and saute over medium to low heat until wilted.

Plate up the chicken, sweet potatoes, and spinach. 

Drizzle the brown sauce over the dish and garnish with the pomegranate mixture.

Ingredients:

6 thinly patted chicken breasts

kosher salt

1 Sweet Potato (peeled and chopped)

1/4 of a medium onion (roughly chopped)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Seeds from half a pomegranate

Juice and zest from half a lemon

1/2 cup of low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 bunch spinach

Directions:

• Using a fork and poke wholes in your 6 chicken breasts and then salt the chicken.
• Cover the chicken with tin foil, and place it in the oven at 350 degrees until the edges or white and the center is still pink (about 10 minutes).
• Meanwhile, peel and chop one sweet potato into bite size pieces.
• Then drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, add a little S + P, and toss.
• Next, quarter a red onion and roughly dice. 
• Then, add 1/2 of the diced onions to your sweet potato mixture (reserve the other half), and put into the oven on 450 degrees until the red onions are tender and the potatoes are golden
• Next, mix together a tablespoon of corn starch and a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
• Remove the chicken from the oven, pat dry, and brush the cornstarch mixture on each side of the chicken breasts.
• Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden brown over medium heat until the center of the meat is not pink anymore.
• While the chicken is caramelizing -- remove the seeds from 1/2 of a pomegranate and place in a bowl with the reserved red onion.
• Zest half a lemon and add the zest to the pomegranate seeds and onion.
• After the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan and cover with tin foil. 
• Deglaze the skillet with a 1/2 cup of low sodium chicken broth and a tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Finish the sauce with a pad of unsalted butter and remove from skillet.
• Add a bunch of spinach to the same skillet and saute over medium to low heat until wilted.
• Plate up the chicken, sweet potatoes, and spinach. 
• Drizzle the brown sauce over the dish and garnish with the pomegranate mixture.

*This part of the recipe was a concept from Cook's Illustrated.