My wife and I were introduced to fresh apricots (Aprikosen) in Switzerland. While driving West on A9, we kept seeing roadside stands, so we finally decided to stop at one in Raron. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but the stand’s proprietor split one open for us, tossed the pit, and handed us each a half of an apricot to try. It was unbelievable. Incredibly juicy and flavourful. We bought a half kilo bag, and took them on the rest of our hikes for a quick trailside snack.
Fast forward a bit, and I am standing in the grocery store, and I see fresh apricots, and I get a little too excited about them (in public, mind you). When I tried one at home, it was a little disappointing because it was a tad underripe, and thus not as juicy or flavourful as I remembered from Valais, and the texture was a little off. But as they (should) say, “When life gives you unripe apricots, make apricot sauce!” And that’s exactly what we did in this recipe. We are blending the bitterness of fresh rhubarb with the sweetness of the apricot and honey to make a glaze for pan-fried chicken! I hope you enjoy!
Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Chicken Breast (or Chicken Breast Cutlets)
- Flour (optional)
- 4-5 Fresh apricots
- 1-2 stalks of fresh Rhubarb
- Butter
- Water
- Honey or Sugar (Honey is better)
- Corn Starch (for thickening purposes if needed)
Method:
- Heat a little butter in a sauce pan.
- Dice your rhubarb, and add it to your butter, and sautee for a bit to start to caramelize it.
- While that cooks, dice your apricots, and add them when the rhubarb has started to brown.
- Stir your rhubarb and apricots pretty constantly until the apricots are nice and soft.
- Puree your rhubarb and apricots in a blender/food processor/Ninja. You may need to add some water to ensure your mixture purees fully.
- Pour your sauce mixture back into your sauce pan, and turn your attention to your chicken.
- Now, slice your chicken breast carefully the long way to create two thin, flat pieces.
- Start heating a large, heavy bottomed pan (cast iron!), and start heating some butter/oil in it.
- Optional: Give your chicken a quick flour dredge.
- When the oil/butter is hot, add your chicken to your pan.
- While the chicken cooks, start heating your sauce, and add some honey to it. (If you want to spice it up a tad, try adding some black pepper or cayenne.)
- After about 4-5 minutes, flip your chicken. It should be golden brown on the side that was against the pan.
- If your sauce is too thin, mix about a half tbsp of corn starch with equal parts warm water, stir to combine, and add to your sauce to thicken while your chicken finishes.
- After another 4-5 minutes, test your chicken’s internal temperature (looking for 165 degrees F or higher) for doneness.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
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