This is a quick, light chicken dish with a Caribbean flair. It features a simple pan sauce made with dark rum, honey, chicken broth, and spices that’s great for serving over steamed white or brown rice.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Boneless chicken breasts: The recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces, but could just as easily be made with chicken tenderloins or boneless chicken thighs.
- Red bell pepper: Be sure to use either red, yellow, or orange bell pepper for this recipe as the stronger flavor of green pepper would overpower the flavors of the pan sauce.
- Anjou pear: We chose the Anjou variety because their plump shape makes them a bit easier to cut into even-sized cubes, but feel free to substitute with another variety if you want. Choose a pear that is ripe, but still relatively firm.
- Dark rum: Dark rum is aged for a number of years and therefore has a richer flavor which we prefer for this sauce. Gold rum is a good choice as well. For a non-alcoholic version of this dish you can use apple juice or cider.
How to Make Chicken with Pears and Honey-Rum Sauce
This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and place in a plastic bag.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt to the bag and shake to coat the chicken.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Using tongs, add the chicken pieces one at a time, shaking off the excess flour first.
- Sauté, stirring frequently, until the chicken is golden on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chunks of red pepper and continue to sauté for 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in the rum, chicken broth, and honey, bring to a simmer and add the pear.
- Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes longer, or until the pear is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the butter and chopped scallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Serve over steamed white or brown rice.
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- For a non-alcoholic version of this recipe: Replace the rum with 1/4 cup of apple juice, increase the chicken broth to 1/3 cup, and reduce the amount of honey to 1 tablespoon.
- Don’t overcook the pears: Peel and cut your pear into 3/4 inch cubes and be careful not to overcook them in the sauce. The 3 to 4 minutes recommended in the recipe should be adequate as you don’t want the cubes to break down into the sauce.
Chicken with Pears and Honey-Rum Sauce
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.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cubed
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1-1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 Anjou pear (ripe but still firm), peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 to 5 scallions, sliced
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and place in a plastic bag.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt to the bag and shake to coat the chicken.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Using tongs, add the chicken pieces one at a time, shaking off the excess flour first.
- Sauté, stirring frequently, until the chicken is golden on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chunks of red pepper and continue to sauté for 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in the rum, chicken broth, and honey, bring to a simmer and add the pear.
- Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes longer, or until the pear is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the butter and chopped scallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Serve over steamed white or brown rice.
Recipe Notes
For a non-alcoholic version of this recipe: Replace the rum with 1/4 cup of apple juice, increase the chicken broth to 1/3 cup, and reduce the amount of honey to 1 tablespoon.
Don’t overcook the pears: Peel and cut your pear into 3/4 inch cubes and be careful not to overcook them in the sauce. The 3 to 4 minutes recommended in the recipe should be adequate as you don’t want the cubes to break down into the sauce.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Chicken with Pears and Honey-Rum Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
311
% Daily Value*
Fat
11
g
17
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
80
mg
27
%
Sodium
143
mg
6
%
Potassium
603
mg
17
%
Carbohydrates
19
g
6
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
12
g
13
%
Protein
26
g
52
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Vitamin A
1192
IU
24
%
Vitamin C
44
mg
53
%
Calcium
33
mg
3
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Have you tried this recipe?Did you add your own special touch? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a rating to share your thoughts with others.
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