ROASTED CHICKEN WITH HONEY BACON PEARS
YIELD: 6-8
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
A simple one-pot chicken dish with pears, bacon, and fresh thyme.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 whole chicken breasts, cut in half (4 pounds)
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- Olive oil
- 8 strips bacon, chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 T. fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Barlett pears, cut in chunks (leave skin on)
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, cutting the breasts in half. Salt and pepper each piece.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over medium heat, adding the chopped onions and bacon and sautéing for 3-4 minutes. Add the wine and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the onions and bacon from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and fry the chicken breast on each side for 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
- In a separate bowl, toss the pears, honey, 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped thyme, and salt and pepper. Drizzle the mixture with olive oil. Mix and set aside.
- Place the onion mixture on the bottom of a roasting pan, with chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme, and place the pan in the hot oven. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes.
- The last 10 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and pour the pear mixture with the juices over the top. Bake another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve right away on a bed of polenta, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, or arugula. Garnish with fresh thyme.
