Episode Four: Seared Chicken with Merlot & Raspberry Sauce

For the first time my friend Kelsey came to visit our apartment, I decided I should cook dinner to make up for all the times she cooked dinner for C and I.  Being that she and I are total winos, I thought it would be appropriate to make this chicken recipe (from Robin to the Rescue), because it would pair well with wine, and that's always okay.

Seared Chicken with Merlot & Raspberry Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup merlot or other dry red wine
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (optional)


Preparation:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper and add to the hot pan.  Sear until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Add the merlot and cook for 1 minute.


2. In a measuring cup, whisk together the sauce ingredients and add to the pan.  Simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces and the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes, then serve.


To go with this, because I forgot to prepare a vegetable and felt that there was something else I needed, I decided to prepare Robin's Rosemary-Rubbed Flatbread.


Rosemary-Rubbed Flatbread
Cooking spray
1 pound fresh or frozen bread or pizza dough, thawed according to instructions
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 450○F.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.


2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 9x15-inch rectangle.  Brush the oil all over the top of the dough and sprinkle with the garlic and rosemary.  Season the top with salt and pepper.  Bake until puffed up and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.


I had several interesting things happen with my 'flatbread'.  Because I am, admittedly, a newb, I failed to understand (or maybe fully read) the recipe's demands, electing to buy Pilsbury dinner rolls as my "dough".  Because this is obviously not actually bread dough, and pre-perforated, I just decided to rip the rolls as directed, and apply the rosemary, olive oil and garlic individually.  I also forgot to start the rolls until the chicken was almost done, so we were not able to eat the two items together.  Finally, Pilsbury tends to add a bit of flavor to their dough, so the rolls were extremely salty with a good helping of butter flavoring.


I did find, though, that the chicken was rather delicious.  Christian though it lacked a flavor element, but Kelsey and I both enjoyed it.  It was a little sweet, but there was enough complexity to the sauce that the follow-through on the flavor counteracted the sweetness of the raspberry.  Adding some fresh rosemary to the chicken was a nice extra flavor.


So, the score so far:
Newb: 2  Food: 2  Ricotta: 1


♥ Ashley