Oh, this recipe might sound a bit fancy since it does have the interesting flavor combinations you would expect in a trendy restaurant, but I promise it truly is a cinch to assemble. Cranberry sauce, cinnamon, and mandarin oranges take a spin in the food processor to make a tasty salsa. Quick-cooking grits are delicious season with butter, crumbled blue cheese, and black pepper. And chicken paillards (breasts that have been pounded to make them thinner) sauté in less than five minutes. It’s a cinch to put together, but no one needs to know that but you.
Yield : Serves 4
Prep Time :
10 Minutes
Cooking Time : 10 Minutes
Ingredients
CRANBERRY-ORANGE SALSA
- 1 can (16 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
- 1 11-ounce can mandarin orange sections, drained
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
BLUE CHEESE GRITS
- 1 can (14 to 14.5 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup quick (not instant) grits
- ½ cup pre-crumbled blue cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Black pepper
CHICKEN PAILLARDS
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound), rinsed and patted dry
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt or table salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
Directions
1. Place the cranberry sauce, mandarin oranges, and cinnamon in a food processor or blender and pulse until well combined, 30 seconds. Set the salsa aside.
2. Make the blue cheese grits: Pour the chicken broth and milk into a 2-quart saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. When they come to a boil, stir in the grits, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the grits thicken, 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the blue cheese and butter. Season with pepper to taste. Cover the pan and set aside.
3. Make the chicken paillards: Place the chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of waxed paper on a work surface and pound them to a 1/3-inch thickness with a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Season on both sides with the salt.
4. Place the oil and the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter has just melted, add the pounded chicken and cook until lightly browned, 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook the second side for 1 minute. Add the wine, cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the chicken simmer until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
5. To serve, spoon the grits onto plates. Place a paillard next to the grits and garnish it with the salsa.
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