Almond Chicken & Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce Recipe

Almond Chicken & Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Read reviews (18)

Rate recipe

Crispy chicken with a sweet-tart sauce is served alongside wilted spinach for this special meal. Virginia Anthony of Jacksonville, Florida says, “I created the recipe many years ago for a contest, and it won the Grand Prize! It’s easy to make and comes off as very elegant.”

This recipe is:

Healthy

[X]

Rate Almond Chicken & Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce Recipe

Click on stars to rate

Would you make this recipe again?

Write a review

[X]

Almond Chicken & Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce Recipe

Prep: 20 min. Cook: 20 min.

Yield: 4 Servings

20 20 40

Ingredients

1/2 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/3 cup unblanched almonds, coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
Butter-flavored cooking spray
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup strawberry preserves
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 package (9 ounces) fresh baby spinach

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the bread crumbs, almonds, salt and pepper. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat.
In a large nonstick skillet coated with butter-flavored spray, cook chicken in 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.
In the same pan, cook shallots in remaining oil until tender. Stir in the broth, preserves, vinegar and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5-6 minutes or until thickened.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add spinach; cover and boil for 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Drain; serve with chicken and sauce. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 chicken breast half with 1/4 cup spinach and 2 tablespoons sauce equals 349 calories, 13 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 476 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 29 g protein.

Originally published as Almond Chicken & Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce in Healthy Cooking April/May 2009, p59

Shallot Substitutions

Shallots are part of the onion family and have a mild onion-garlic flavor. In place of 3 to 4 shallots, use 1 medium onion plus a pinch of garlic powder or (if you like the taste of garlic) 1 minced garlic clove.