Roasted Chicken Breast with Walnuts, Dates and Olives
| Serves | 6 |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Chicken, Walnuts |
| Menu Part | Entree |
| Cuisine Type | Mediterranean |
Chef Alex Stratta
Stratta Kitchen
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Chicken and fruit are complementary partners. Chef Alex Stratta makes the most of that partnership in this recipe, adding toasted walnuts and olives to round out the flavors and texture. He recommends marinating the chicken breasts for about an hour in fresh rosemary, halved garlic cloves, a bit of lemon zest, olive oil salt and pepper, if time permits.
Ingredients
5 to 6 Medjool dates, pitted and cut into pieces
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 skin-on chicken breast halves
¾ cup toasted walnut pieces
1/3 cup Nicoise or Kalamata olives, pitted and slices
¾ cup chicken stock
1½ tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. coarsely chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Steps
- Combine dates and vinegar in small bowl and let stand for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Heat olive oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown about 2 minutes on each side.
- Place skillet in oven and roast chicken for 12 to 14 minutes, until fully cooked. Transfer chicken to a serving platter.
- Place the skillet over high heat. Add soaked dates and vinegar, walnuts, olives and stock; bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for a minute, scraping bottom of pan with a spatula to remove any flavorful bits. Reduce heat to medium; stir in butter and parsley and stir until butter melts. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
Photo courtesy of California Walnuts