I am sure I have mentioned before how much I love Rachael Ray. This is one of my favorite cookbooks by her, go pick up a copy, I promise you will wear it out! We did a SUPER yummy Rachael Ray recipe with shrimp last night and tonight we are doing one of my faves, Balsamic Glazed Chicken and Garlic Rice Pilaf. This recipe also includes yummy slices of smoked mozzarella, but I'm watching the evil cals so I'm omitting it today.
I was going to go ahead and cook it up, but alas, I am out of thyme and you CANNOT do this without thyme. But I am still gonna give you the recipe :) I was really hoping it was on her site...but looks like I am typing it out today.
This is one of those recipes where she takes a base recipe, then does it a couple different ways. In the book she does the balsamic glaze on pork chops, chicken and swordfish. Each is paired with something different that compliments the meat.
Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Smoke Mozzarella and Garlic Rice Pilaf
3 TBL cold unsalted butter
1 bx of rice pilaf mix
3 TBL EVOO
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small onion, chopped
1 TBL fresh thyme, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves (3 for sauce, 2 for your rice)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 TBL honey
2 tomatoes, sliced
8 thin slices of fresh smoke mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves
Start out with your rice mix. Start melting 1 TBL of the butter and add 2 cloves of the minced garlic and saute for about a minute. Continue cooking the rice according to the instructions on the box.
Heat up your EVOO in a large skillet (med-high heat) and season your chicken with some salt and pepper. Add to the hot skillet. Cook for about 6 minutes on each side.
Transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil. Go back to the plan and add another TBL of EVOO, the onions, thyme, rosemary and the remaining garlic. Saute 4-5 minutes (this part smells so good!). Add the balsamic vinegar, honey and chicken stock. Cook until liquids have reduced by half (good time to start cleaning up).
After the liquids have reduced, turn off the heat and add the remaining 2 TBL of cold butter. Stir until it melts. Add the chicken to the pan and coat in the glaze. Sometimes I'll leave the heat on medium for this part. Layer your chicken with alternating layers of tomato, mozzarella, and basil. Drizzle a little EVOO and some salt and pepper and you're done!
Serve with the rice and a salad.
It does seem like a lot, but remember:
- Gather ALL ingredients first.
- Use a trash bowl
- Do all chopping/ cutting before you start cooking
- Clean as you go.
No comments:
Post a Comment