Balsamic Chicken Breasts with Peaches, Feta and Basil

I have continued to change things up in the kitchen. Tonight I wanted burgers but had no buns.  A beautiful loaf of sliced artisanal sourdough filled in.  I toasted the large slices, cut them in half, and put a burger on each half. It worked great. A year ago I would have sent Glen running to the store. What a waste. 

There was a recipe I saw on a site called Half Baked Harvest for Skillet Balsamic Peach Pork Chops with Feta and Basil I wanted to try a few nights ago.  I thawed some pork chops and had already purchased the basil and peaches, but I ended up short of time.  Unfortunately that meant I had to cook the pork chops in a simpler way. Time to again change things up.  I decided to try the recipe the next night, but substitute chicken breasts I had in the freezer. Would it work? Who knew!  I was relieved they actually turned out delicious. Things don’t always work out when I get creative. When they do it is a nice surprise.

I discovered the kitchen hack of slashing the thick part of chicken breasts to help them cook more evenly. This makes a nice pattern on top as well.  The one thing I didn't get quite right was broiling the peaches.  I did put my pan under a broiler on high, but I should have raised the oven rack higher. Next time. I served the chicken/peaches/basil/feta with some cooked vegetables and roasted new potatoes. Enjoy!

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Balsamic Chicken Breasts with Peaches, Basil and Feta
2 servings

Ingredients - 

2                 Med. Chicken Breasts
Salt and black pepper
2 T              Extra virgin olive oil

½ C             Balsamic vinegar
1 T              Honey
1 T              Chopped fresh thyme (can sub fresh oregano)
2                 Peaches skin left on, sliced (mine were larger and 1-/2 peaches was enough) 
Feta cheese, cubed or crumbled for garnish (the amount is up to you)
½ C            Fresh basil for garnish. I coarsely chopped to bite size.

Instructions - 

Preheat the broiler to high. Put the rack high to bring it close to the heat.

To help the chicken breasts cooked evenly, I slashed the thick part on a diagonal, turned them, and then repeated cutting across the first slashes. It made a grid. I cut about halfway through the thick part of the breast. I just learned this technique and it is now my go to. 

Heat a large, oven proof skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the skillet. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and sear on both sides for 3-4 minutes until nicely browned. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the chicken is just cooked through.

While they are cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, and oregano. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, pour the balsamic sauce over the chicken. Remove from the heat and add the peaches. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil for 4-5 minutes or until the peaches are lightly charred. If the balsamic sauce starts getting too thick, add a little water to keep it saucy.

Remove from the oven. Put one chicken breast on a plate. Scatter some peaches over them, then garnish with feta and fresh basil. You can also drizzle a little of the balsamic sauce from the pan if you want. Mine were fine as is. Enjoy!