Cranberry-Pear Chicken

I made one of my favorite chicken dishes last night, one I like so much that I am confident enough to share with you. I even took pictures while I made it. (I'm a wanna-be.) And I looked up the word fond (the browned and caramelized bits of meat stuck to the bottom of a skillet after cooking a piece of meat) so I could use it correctly. What is it they say about the best-laid plans? Mine went a little awry, but dinner still made it to the table.

Cranberry-Pear Chicken
2 tsp canola oil
¾ lb. chicken breast, boneless, skinless - cut in
1-inch cubes
1 ½ tsp all-purpose flour
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp salt

3 green onions, chopped
1 pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
¾ cup pear nectar
2 tsp coarse multi-grain mustard I'm not a huge mustard fan - I just used 1 tsp

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Toss with flour and sauté in 1 tsp oil for five minutes, turning once to brown all sides. Remove from pan.

At this point your pan has a beautiful fond. This is the best part. It makes the dish. Don't burn it.

Add additional teaspoon of oil; sauté chopped green onion and pear for three minutes to brown the pears.

It smells so good right now!

Add the cranberries, pear nectar, and mustard; simmer, uncovered for 3 minutes.

This is the part where you deglaze that wonderful fond from the pan with the pear nectar. I used a little chicken broth too, because I like it saucy. Imagine my horror when I turned from getting the mustard out of the cupboard and saw/smelled my precious fond blackened and burnt. I guess I took too long hunting for the mustard. I guess I had the heat a little too high. I guess I am not the cook I wish I was. I know it was not the end of the world, but it upset me. I had to transfer the pears and onions minus the fond to a nonstick skillet. I added a little more chicken broth and pear nectar and hoped for the best.

Add the reserved chicken and simmer for one minute to glaze the chicken.

Maybe all is not lost.

Garnish with green onions and... 

Serve immediately.

with brown rice, Mmmm!

So, it turned out OK. It was delicious actually. The real question is, did the girls eat it? They asked for 2nds - of broccoli. They did eat the chicken after picking off all those pesky green & red things. They must think I'm insane for messing up perfectly good plain chicken with fruit and vegetables and sauce. That won't stop me from making it again though. I hope you like it too. Good luck with the fond!