Best Whole Chicken Braised With Pears Recipes

BRAISED WHOLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. In a large ovensafe saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high. Add chicken and brown, breast side down, 5-10 minutes. Turn over and brown second side. Transfer chicken to a platter. Add celery and onion and sauté 5 minutes. Add carrots and sauté another 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
• Place chicken, breast side down, overtop vegetables . Combine broth, water and vinegar and pour over chicken. Add potatoes to the pot, cover and braise 45 minutes. Turn chicken, breasts side up, cook another 10-15 minutes with lid off to brown.
• Remove chicken and vegetables from pan and keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid and discard. Carve chicken and place slices into shallow bowls, adding vegetables and broth. Garnish with fresh chives and serve.

CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute onion until tender. Add pears and brown sugar; cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in vinaigrette and thyme., Return chicken to skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-6 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Serve with chicken.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN WITH PEARS

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
• One at a time, place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap.
• Using a meat mallet, carefully pound the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness of approximately 1/2-inch.
• Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
• In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.
• When the oil is hot, add the chicken and saute, turning once, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
• Remove from heat and transfer to a platter, cover, and keep warm.
• To the same pan, add the shallot and saute over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until soft; decrease heat to medium and add the pears.
• Continue sauteing, stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes, until the pears are soft and golden brown.
• To prepare the sauce, combine chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
• Pour over the pear mixture; add the cherries. Increase heat to high and simmer, stirring frequently for 6 to 8 minutes or until the sauce thicksn slightly.
• Return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Bring the mixture back to a simmer; decrease heat to medium.
• Cook for 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (juices will run clear when cut with the tip of a knife).
• Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove chicken from heat.
• Place the chicken on individual serving plates or on a large platter.
• Using a slotted spoon, mound the fruit over the top.
• Spoon the sauce over the fruit and around the chicken.
• Serve immediately.

SHEET-PAN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH PEARS AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the center.
• Pat the chicken dry and trim excess fat and skin. Sprinkle all over with 2 teaspoons salt, and season with pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the red-pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, ginger and oil. On a sheet pan, rub the chicken and pears all over with the mixture. Arrange chicken skin-side up and pears skin-side down. Cook until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees at the thickest part) and the pears are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, add the sunflower seeds to the pan. If there's a lot of fat when finished cooking, tilt the pan and spoon it off until there's a light coating on the surface of the pan.
• Scatter the arugula on top, and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with herbs, if using. Cut the remaining lemon half in quarters and serve.

WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN WITH PEAR, SHALLOTS, AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting pan and season all over with salt and pepper. Gently loosen skin and rub chicken breasts with thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Stuff cavity with 5 thyme sprigs, garlic, and lemon. Using kitchen twine, securely tie legs together; tuck wing tips underneath.
• Roast chicken for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, baste with pan juices; add shallots, pears, and remaining thyme sprigs to pan. Return to oven and continue to roast, until thermometer inserted in the thick part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reaches 165 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting and tossing pears and shallots once. Transfer to a serving platter and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN & PEARS

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until a thermometer reads 165°, 8-10 minutes. Remove., Meanwhile, stir together next 5 ingredients until blended. Pour into skillet; add pears and dried cherries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until pears are tender, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet; simmer, uncovered, until heated through, 3-5 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional minced rosemary.