Delicious Fall Dinner!

I shop at Arbor Farms a lot and often peruse their website. The other day I saw this recipe for Chicken with Balsamic-Dried Plum Sauce and I said to myself this must be the sexier way to say Prune Chicken! Yep, indeed, dried plums are prunes and we all know that doesn't really conjure up the best images, eh? In other words, you might hear of a dress described as “plum” colored but surely not prune! All kidding aside, I'm here to tell you that no matter the name, this chicken is darn good!

I also had some leftover cooked barley in the fridge and used that for a delicious side for the chicken. To add some color to the meal, I tried a recipe I for Chickpea Cucumber Salad which I found on Peggy Lampman's Dinner Feed site--web link at end of entry.


Chicken with Balsamic-Dried Plum Sauce (revised a bit my me)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried plums
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed


Instructions: In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Season chicken with salt and pepper, as desired. Place chicken in skillet; cook 10 minutes or so, turning once. Transfer to serving platter; keep warm. Add shallots and garlic to same skillet; cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until softened. Stir in broth, dried plums, vinegar, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat slightly; cook until sauce is reduced by half, about 1 cup. Spoon over chicken.

Barley “Risotto”
1 cup cooked barley
2 T chopped carrot
2 T chopped onion
some olive oil
some chicken broth
¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

Sauté carrot and and onion in oil in saucepan, add the barley and the chicken broth, some salt and pepper. Gently heat with lid on pan. Close to serving time stir in some crumbled goat cheese.

I made the salad exactly as Peggy Lampman directed but didn't have any anchovies—would have added had I had them. Below is a picture of my salad and the recipe link to her blog with the recipe:

 http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/food-drink/peggy-lampmans-tuesday-dinnerfeed-chickpea-cucumber-salad/