Found this yummy fig-glazed chicken recipe in Costco's September 2011 edition of their magazine, The Costco Connection. I substituted apples for the suggested pears because I had a big bag of small organic apples on hand; I used honey in place of the sugar called for; and I used far less salt & pepper than listed. The hardest part of the prep was pressing the fig sauce in my too-small-for-the-task sieve. I will probably try to round up a larger sieve before my next rendering of this. Also, I would like to try it "as written"...using pears.
Here's how Costco printed the recipe (except for abbreviations):
Balsamic and Fig Glazed Pear-Topped Chicken Breast
4 oz. goat cheese 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp. dried thyme 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp minced garlic 6 boneless, skinless chicken
3 pears, cored & halved breast halves
1 1/3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups dried figs, plus 1 tsp. black pepper
diced pieces for garnish Thyme sprigs, for garnish
Mix goat cheese, thyme and garlic until blended. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of goat cheese mixture into center of each pear half. Puree chicken broth, figs, vinegar, and sugar in batches in blender until smooth. Pour into strainer set over a bowl. Press liquid (sauce) into bowl and discard solids. Pour half of fig sauce into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan.
Place chicken breasts over fig sauce in pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place filled pear half cut side down over each chicken breast and drizzle with remaining fig sauce. Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake, basting occasionally, 30 to 40 minutes until chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 160 F.
Cut chicken and pear in half to serve. Spoon sauce over pears. Garnish each serving with diced figs and thyme sprigs. Makes 6 servings.
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Thank you, Costco! This is "company special"!
