Balsamic Fig Glazed Chicken

This recipe was originally published to the blog in 2016. I’m giving the post an update. The sauce for this recipe is sweet and tangy. You can make this any time of year using fig jam, but I like making it in fall, when I start craving richer meals.

You never know where inspiration will find you, and this recipe is proof: some years ago, on a road trip, we stopped at a grocery store for a quick meal. I ended up ordering balsamic fig-glazed chicken from the deli counter. My expectations of the deli counter meal were low, so imagine my surprise when I took the first bite and found the glaze to be complex and full of flavor. This make-it-at-home version is far better than that deli version, a perfect dish for a dinner party on a crisp fall evening. Serve with a spicy red wine and this salad from Saveur (I use Asian Pears rather than apples for extra crunch).

Balsamic Fig Glazed Chicken

Published October 6, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (Breasts also work, but I prefer thighs because they tend to stay juicier; Chicken breasts tend to take longer to cook, so adjust accordingly)

2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil)

1 medium-sized shallot

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup fig jam

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper

4-6 slices of Provolone cheese

Directions:

1. Start the sauce: Mince shallots and garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan. When butter is sizzling, add shallots and garlic. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, and sauté until shallots are translucent and starting to brown.
2. Pour 1/4 cup red wine into sauce pan. Bring to simmer. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until liquid has reduced by about half. Add 1/4 cup fig jam and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and stir to incorporate. Simmer sauce, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Season chicken generously with salt. Cook the chicken: heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. When butter is sizzling, place chicken in pan. Cook on one side, without moving, for 5-6 minutes, or until chicken easily releases from the pan (if chicken sticks, it likely needs to cook a bit longer). Spoon about half of the fig sauce over the cooked side of the chicken, and continue to cook on the second side for 5 more minutes, or until and internal temperature of chicken reaches 165°F. Spoon remaining fig sauce over chicken, and top each piece with a slice of provolone. Place lid on pan, and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until cheese is melted.
4. Transfer to serving plates, and season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper.
5. Note: You can also grill the chicken if that’s more your style. The cheese will melt very quickly if you go this route, so watch closely.

Grain-Free Fig & Almond Linzer Cookies

A year ago I was wandering through Austria & Germany, riding up gondolas and getting lost in forests thicker than any forest seen in Colorado. Each mountain top was dotted with a unique restaurant or bar. Just last night I was going back through old photos, wishing I could teleport back. Since that wasn't an option, I started cooking instead. 😉 

Linzer Cookies are a classic Austria dessert, so it feels appropriate to make these cookies now, as I swim in nostalgia. The cooler weather just serves as an excuse to turn on the oven again. As you assemble these cookies, you can imagine you are deep in a valley in Austria again, maybe in a small cottage with gingerbread trim and a wood burning stove in the corner. 

The Linzer Cookies are stuffed with figs, because I had a special bag of Smyrna Figs from Made in Nature (which I love because they are the softest, juiciest dried figs I've ever had, and they're unsulfured). All week I've been sprinkling them on various meals-- cheese plates, Harissa roasted eggplant- refraining from putting the whole bag in my desk snack drawer and eating them all straight, which is what I usually do with dried figs. When these cookies were plated, the wait was worth it. ❤️

Made in Nature provided me with product for this blog post, but the recipes and opinions are all my own. Working with brands to develop wholesome recipes is one way I keep Foraged Dish going! Made In Nature helps me stock the pantry and keep the blog going. I only work with brands that I truly enjoy and use.  

Grain-Free Fig & Almond Linzer Cookies

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

Almonds and figs pair perfectly!

Yields: 12   |    Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup figs
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Place the figs in a bowl, and pour water over top to soak them.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until incorporated. Add the melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla, and stir until a uniform dough forms. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in fridge for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F. After dough has chilled, remove from fridge. Cut out a piece of parchment paper and roll dough out with a rolling pin on parchment to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut cookies out as desired and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool.
4. While cookies cool, make fig filling: drain water, and place figs in high powdered blender and puree into a thick jam-like mixture, scraping sides of blender as needed to get a consistent texture.
5. Spread fig jam on a cookie, and top with a second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat until cookies are used up.

Paleo Chocolate Chip and Fig Sunbutter Muffins

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Last week, after climbing, we sat in the car debating where to eat, when this place came up on Yelp: mmm...Coffee Paleo Bistro. Decision made! It's rare enough to find a paleo-friendly restaurant, let alone something with a strictly paleo menu.

Mmm...Coffee Paleo Bistro is a small cafe that serves only paleo goodies. It's disguised as a coffee shop, but dishes up grain-free everything, from muffins to brownies and granola. My eyes grew three sizes when I saw the muffins in their pastry case. Those are paleo too?! I asked, already knowing the answer. They were tall, golden muffins that overflowed from their muffins cups the way muffins do in any coffee shop. The owner of the bistro confirmed: paleo. 

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After splitting a muffin for dessert, I knew that it was game time: go home and recreate these muffins. Puffy and oversized. Soft, sturdy, and a bit nutty. I began searching for recipes for sunflower seed butter muffins as soon as I had a decent internet connection. I knew that mmm...Coffee's version used flax, but I prefer to bake with eggs and figured I'd give it a shot. Want a close up of what had me so excited? The texture of these muffins is just so... muffin-y, in a way that most paleo muffs fall short. See:

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Since these muffins are made of primarily sunflower butter, they're high in protein--sunflower seeds are higher in protein than most other common nuts and seeds. Sunflower butter has an addicting peanut butter-like taste to it, so it pairs well with fruit flavors (like figs!) and chocolate. I've been day dreaming about a PB&J version of these muffins, too! 

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Paleo Chocolate Chip and Fig Sunbutter Muffins

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan   |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

Yields: 6   |    Total Time: 30 Minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup sunflower seed butter AKA "sunbutter" (NOTE: if you use homemade sunflower seed butter, your muffins may turn a slight green color as they cool. This is due to a naturally occurring and edible nutrient in plants called chlorogenic acid.
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (skip this if you are using salted sunbutter)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped dried figs (roughly 7 figs)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine the sunbutter, bananas, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Puree until smooth.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips and figs until evenly distributed. Spoon the batter into the muffin liners until they are about 3/4 of the way full.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.