This was the dish that won Kevin McCabe's heart (well, stomach)! We were
newly dating and I had him over to my house to cook him dinner. I don't
think he'd ever dated anyone who cooked for him before, little did he
know, this was the dish that would make him fall in love. Ha!
I knew he had a sweet tooth and did not like peppers . . . that's all I
had to go on folks. My Dad used to grill chicken and fruit all the time in
summer, and I sort of did a riff on that:
INGREDIENTS
4 Chicken Breasts (or thighs - bone in or boneless - your choice)
Fresh Sage
Fresh Peaches (can use canned peaches, just drain them)
Peach Preserves
Orange Juice or Apple Juice
Balsamic Vinegar
Maple Syrup
Red Pepper Flakes
Onion
Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
You can use whatever cut of chicken you like, but I use skinless, boneless
breasts and pound them slightly to thin and make even. Place breasts into
a sealable plastic bag and add the following:
4 smashed cloves of garlic
Red pepper flakes (to your liking - I use about 1/2 teaspoon)
Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
Balsamic Vinegar (1/4 cup)
Salt and Pepper to taste (this is where to impart a lot of seasoning so I
go a little liberal with the S&P)
Shake up the bag and get everything mixed and coating the breasts. Set in
fridge while you set up the rest of the dish.
You wash and peel peaches (leave peel on if you like). I cut them into
slices and then the slices into halves. Finely dice a small/medium sweet
onion. Finely chop fresh sage leaves (about 6-8 leaves).
Here's how it goes down at camp:
I've got the
Magma Crossover Double Burner Firebox
and on one burner I've got the griddle heating up, the other burner, I've
got my cast iron skillet heating up.
Bring out the chicken! Chicken breasts go on griddle straight out of the
marinade bag, no need to oil griddle. While they cook, add some olive oil
to the cast iron skillet and add the chopped onion and sage. Cook until
onion starts to caramelize, at this point, add the peaches. Let the
peaches warm thru and start to give off their juices. Add some salt and
pepper to taste. Keep an eye on the chicken, flip when starting side has a
little of a "crust" or browning.
Back to peaches . . . if they are not super juicy, don't worry we'll get
there. Add a couple of generous tablespoons of peach preserves to the
skillet and mix in. Drizzle maple syrup (not too much, don't want it to be
too sweet), we're going for the smoky maple flavor it gives. Mix and add
juice to loosen up the sauce a little (I like it a medium thickness . . .
not thin, but not gluey, something you can spoon over the chicken). Keep
tasting the sauce for salt and pepper, add more pepper flakes if you like
it spicy.
When chicken is brown on both sides on griddle, and peach sauce is bubbly,
add breasts to skillet by nestling them into the sauce. They will finish
cooking here for about 10 minutes. Lower the heat on the skillet to low
(even off if chicken is done), this is just to warm through and get sauce
and chicken to get to know each other. Turn off burner on the
griddle.
I serve it on the picnic table right out of the skillet. I made a big
salad and roasted red potatoes with rosemary and olive oil. Make sure you
get a peach on every bite of chicken! It's the sweet and savory that we
love about this dish.
What I love the most about traveling are all the different flavors and
stories told over food. Every region has something they're proud of, call
their own, or known for, and I want to taste it! When we go exploring, I
always look for local produce, locally sourced jams, jellies, pickles,
salsas, vinegars, oils, beer, wine, etc. I love to recreate dishes we
enjoyed on the road . . . it brings us right back to that table and right
back to all those wonderful memories. A great way to stroll down memory
lane! Watch the episode segment below.
I hope you enjoy,
Patrice
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