Spring Forward: Raspberry Chicken with Grilled Pear and Gorgonzola Spinach Salad

 

Spring taste cooking, here we go! This recipe involves three spring produce options: raspberries, pears and spinach. I had stumbled upon a recipe similar to this in my Whole Foods e-blast a few months back. It used fresh blackberries and a peach spread, but instead of pears, they grilled peaches as a side accompaniment. To concentrate on in-season produce, I decided to replace the blackberries with raspberries and the peaches for pears. I had a hankering for a sharp, potent cheese so I decided to see if I could grill pears and top with some Gorgonzola cheese crumbles. As I started making it, I saw I had plenty of spinach in my fridge so this became a salad with a few additional fixings laying around.

Mr. Max's words: it tastes like spring time on a fork! Aaaaaand mission accomplished. I loved the tang from the raspberries but I think my favorite was the salad. The cheese slightly melted to the grilled pears and they were a very tasty combination with the spinach and other ingredients.

Click here for the nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com. 

Grocery List:
For Chicken

• 2 Chicken cutlets (4-6 oz. each - pounded 1 inch thin)
• 1/2 cup of Peach Preserves
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 tsp. red chili flakes
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

For Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 pear, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• Dressing of choice 

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. In a small sauce pan, combine the peach preserves, brown sugar and chili flakes. Whisk together on medium high heat for about two minutes until simmering.

Add the raspberries and stir in gently. Remain on heat for another two minutes, then remove. Reserve about 2 tbsp. of the sauce.

In a skillet, add olive oil and place the chicken to cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side. This will sear the chicken, locking in natural moisture to keep the chicken tender. 

Top the chicken with the peach-raspberry glaze and bake for 8 minutes. 

As the chicken bakes, grab a griddle and top with sliced pears over high heat. 

After 5 minutes, flip the pears and cook for another 5 minutes. 

 In a large bowl, add the spinach, cranberries, Gorgonzola and red onion. Top with grilled pears, still hot.

Toss with your dressing of choice. I took the 2 tbsp. of raspberry-peach sauce, mixed with a tbsp. champagne vinaigrette and 2 tbsp. olive oil.

Once the chicken is done, serve it up for a delicious and nutritious dish. 

Tastefully yours,