Raspberry-Balsamic Chicken with Shallots

I hope everyone has had a great week. There's lots of goodness going on over here which has kept me from blogging this week but I plan to share with you tomorrow with my Not So Fat Friday yumminess. 

This dish could have easily been a part of NSFF but I really wanted to share it today. From Eating Well.com , I made it this week & really enjoyed it. It was perfectly paired with some whole grain couscous that I kicked up a bit by cooking in broth & then adding some lemon juice, garlic powder & a little thyme to go with the thyme in the main dish. This was super easy to make, delicious & healthy. That's a triple threat right there!!!!!!!!

{There is more sauce than what appears in the dish}

¾ cup seedless all-fruit raspberry jam
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 4- to 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped shallots (2-3 large)
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme

Combine jam & vinegar in a small pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often, until the jam is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in salt & pepper & let cool slightly. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce. Place chicken breasts & the rest of the sauce in a large sealable plastic bag. Seal & shake gently to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots & thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade). Add the chicken to the pan & cook until just beginning to brown, 2 minutes on each side. Add the reserved raspberry sauce; stir to melt the jam & coat the chicken. Reduce heat to low, cover & cook until the chicken is cooked through & no longer pink in the center, 6 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

{My Thoughts}

The 3 boneless chicken breasts I had were very thick so I sliced them thinner & used about 4 of the thin cutlets which ended up in line with the recipe. If I had pounded them thin they still would have been too big. 

If you halve this recipe for some reason I highly recommend you keeping the jam & vinegar quantity the same. I also recommend doubling the shallots regardless. I felt there were not enough. Sweet Vidalia onions would work very well if you have those on hand instead. 

As for the jam, I went with the brand Polaner All Fruit Fruit Spread which had the least sugar of most of the jams out there. I also used the dried thyme from my pantry & would again.

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