Chicken with Baby Greens, Pears & Blue Cheese

 

As promised here I am with my first Quarantine Cooking Recipe.  Chicken with Wilted Baby Greens, Sauteed Pears & Blue Cheese.

I have given quantities for one serving.  There may only be one of you isolating, but if there is more than one person you can very easily multiply this simple dish to serve more!

I only have salt and pepper here in the hotel with me, so there is not a lot of choice when it comes to seasoning. You really don't need much more. You could certainly add your favourite herbs or seasonings to the chicken if you wish.

You just need to think about what will go with the flavours of blue cheese (or whatever dressing you decide to use), chicken and pears!  Rosemary would be excellent!  As would any of the soft herbs. 

I would think also that hot sauce would be a great addition, or cayenne pepper.  This is so simple and quick to make. You will be surprised.  Cooking quarantine style need never be boring! 

I love cooking like this. I call it cooking by the seat of my pants. One of my favourite shows when I moved over to the UK was a show called Ready Stead Cook.

 

In this show the celebrity chefs, usually two, would be given a bag of mystery ingredients to a certain value at the beginning of the show by the contestants.  There were two contestants.  

 

The Chef's would then be challenged to create something tasty with the ingredients in the bag, or as much tasty as they could, and in less than half an hour.

 

They would each usually cook two or three dishes while the clock ran down. Once done the audiance would vote on which chef has risen to the task better than the other and the contestant would win a prize.

Quarantine cookery is quite like that. You have a fridge with a very few ingredients in it and your challenge is to create something delicious from them.

Today I had chicken breast.  Ripe anjou pears.  A box of baby greens. A jar of blue cheese salad dressing. Salt and pepper. Oh, and some Becel butter spread.

 

Chicken breasts are a fabulous canvas for a multitude of flavours. You could certainly use boneless skinless chicken thighs however if you wanted to. 

They were well seasoned and then browned in the becel until golden brown on both sides. I find that it only takes about 9 minutes per side.  The juices should run clear and not pink when pierced.

When the chicken is almost done you will want to add the pears to the pan. I did not bother to peel them.I simply removed the centre, and trimmed off the stem end and base. I then cut the pear into largish wedges. 

I only browned them briefly in the pan juices on each side until golden. You want them to maintain some of their crispness, so don't overdo it.  Its funny how cooking fruit helps to enhance their natural sweetness.  So good!

 

Once the chicken and pears were done it was a simple matter to saute/wilt the greens. You could use a mix as I have, or even spinach on its own or rocket, or baby beet greens. Escarole. Arugula. Kale.

Any or all.  Greens cook really quickly. Just toss them in the pan and just keep turning them over and over until you get them as wilted as you want. They will soak up all the chicken and pear juices giving them some nice flavours as well.

We eat first with our eyes, so presentation is everything.  I thought this looked really nice. I set the golden brown chicken on top of the greens.

Don't overcook your chicken. This was done perfectly so that it was golden brown on the outside, but still tender and juicy in the middle.

I flanked the chicken with the sauteed pears.   They were beautifully golden brown. Sweet and juicy.  I think a sprinkle of cayenne pepper would be wonderful on them.

Sweet and spicy. Yummy!

My final addition was a drizzle of that lush rich blue cheese dressing. I happen to really love blue cheese. It wasn't always so.

When I was younger I thought cheese had to be bright orange and come in a cardboard box! 😂😂 Yep, plastic cheese. My mother could never get me to try anything else except for the Parmesan that came in the green plastic container. 'Nuff said.

 

Just look at how juicy that chicken is.  It is so tender, and despite only being seasoned with salt and pepper, browning it well in the pan helped to caramelize the juices and give it a lush flavor. 

And those pears  . . .  perfect!!!

 Altogether this was perfectly delicious.  Moist and tasty chicken. Sweet crisp pears. Wilted greens with just a touch of bitterness. Rich creamy dressing.

What more could a body want?  I served it with some boiled new potatoes, and a mix of cauliflower, broccoli and carrot.  Win/win!!

Chicken with Greens, Pears & Blue Cheese

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Yield: 1

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 5 Mincook time: 20 Mintotal time: 25 Min

The amounts are for one serving, but this can very easily be multiplied to feed as many as you like. Simple ingredients done well.

Ingredients

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillet
• 1 tsp of fat (becel, butter, oil, etc.)
• a large handful of baby greens
• salt and black pepper
• 1/2 of a large firm ripe pear, seeded and cut into wedges
• blue cheese dressing to serve

Instructions

1. Season your chicken all over with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the fat in a skillet until it begins to foam. Add the chicken presentation side down.
3. Cook over medium high heat for 9 minutes per side, until golden brown and the juices run clear. Add the pear wedges for the last few minutes of cooking, just until lightly seared on each side.
4. Remove the chicken to a plate to keep warm, along with the pear. Add the greens to the skillet cook, tossing and turning until wilted.
5. Place the wilted greens on a plate, top with the chicken. Arrange the pear wedges around the chicken and drizzle with some of the salad dressing.  Serve immediately with your favourite sides.

notes:

If you don't like blue cheese dressing, use a dressing you do like. Ranch would be nice as would honey mustard!

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I know that I am really lucky being able to quarantine in a place where I have family nearby.  They are a real God send and taking very good care of me!  I am truly blessed.

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