Chicken with Pears and Honey-Rum Sauce

This is a quick, light chicken dish featuring an easy pan sauce made with dark rum, honey, spices, fresh pear, and scallions.

We served it over Ginger Rice (recipe below), but it’s versatile enough to pair with brown rice, egg noodles or even mashed potatoes.

Chicken with Pears and Honey-Rum Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This is a quick-to-fix dish of sautéed chicken, red bell pepper and chunks of fresh pear tossed in a lightly spiced rum sauce.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Pinch of cayenne
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup dark rum
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1-1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 medium pear, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 to 5 scallions, sliced

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne and about 1/2 teaspoon salt in a plastic bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, add the chicken pieces, shaking off the excess flour.
3. Cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to turn golden in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook 2 minutes longer.
4. Add the rum, chicken broth and honey, bring to a simmer and add the pear.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the butter and scallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Serve over Ginger Rice (see below).

Notes

For a non-alcoholic version of this recipe, replace the rum with 1/4 cup apple juice, increase the chicken broth to 1/3 cup and reduce the amount of honey to 1 tablespoon.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 191mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 37g

Note: Nutrition information is estimated and may vary from your actual results.

Ginger Rice

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Kick up the flavor of plain basmati rice by adding fresh sautéed ginger and a pat of butter.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice (we like to use basmati)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the ginger, season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and fragrant.
3. Add the rice and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to coat the rice with the oil.
4. Add the water, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and all of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Stir in the butter until melted and season to taste with salt and pepper.