I know, that was a mouthful. This was another dish that I felt quasi-mad scientist making. Step by step, I kept thinking to myself, how is this going to turn out? But, I trusted my instincts and was BLOWN AWAY by the end result. The sweet potatoes soak up the balsamic glaze from caramelizing the peaches and chicken in the balsamic vinegar. The peach exudes a sweetness to the dish balanced by the acid of the vinegar. It has a slight tart or pie like appearance, which I’m not opposed to. Seriously, don’t pass this one up.
Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
For the potatoes-
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, thinly sliced in circles
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs rosemary (or 1/2 tbs dried)
- 1/2 tbs garlic powder (or 1 fresh clove)
- Sprinkle salt and pepper
For the chicken & peaches-
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (~1 tsp)*
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425. Thinly slice your sweet potatoes (1/4 inch). Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary, salt and pepper then bake on a lined and oiled baking sheet for 30 min. Flip halfway through.
- Meanwhile, heat up oil in a large skillet. Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Add to pan and cook for about 7-10 minutes on one side (till edges look cooked), before flipping and cooking for about 5 more (till cooked through). Set aside.
- Add garlic and shallot to pan. Cook, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes. Add peaches and cook for 5 more min, next add balsamic vinegar and let reduce for 3 min.
- Slice chicken then add it to the pan. Mix everything around and serve atop sweet potato rounds. Sprinkle with thyme. Enjoy!
Notes:
*As a general rule of thumb, if you don’t have a fresh herb, you can substitute it with half the amount of the dried version. So, in this example, if you don’t have 1 tsp fresh thyme, then you can use 1/2 tsp dried thyme.
What am I listening to as I make this? “This Must Be the Place” by Sure Sure
What can I learn while I make this? Did you know that balsamic vinegar has been made in Northern Italy since medieval times, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that the rest of the world discovered balsamic vinegar? I did not, so thank you Harold McGee’s “On Food and Cooking.”
What if I want another unexpected dinner but not this one? Don’t worry, this wasn’t my only foray into being a mad scientist in the kitchen. Try out these other experiments:
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