Baked Chicken with Fresh Peaches

A simple summer supper, just quick-seared chicken breasts finished during a short stint in the oven surrounded by fresh and summer-juicy peaches.

Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Budget Friendly. Low Carb. High Protein. Very Weight Watchers Friendly. Weeknight Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free. Quick to the Table.

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This recipe is so quick and easy
that I'm adding it to a special collection of easy summer recipes
published every summer since 2009.
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Let Us Be Weeds

"A weed is only a flower out of place," my mother used to say. She had a knack for gardening, her able assistants the short cool summers and long light-filled days of Northern Minnesota.

As Mother Nature bears down on much of the U.S. – punishing heat and parching dryness – during this summer of 2012, my own gardens wither.

I'm deciding that my definition of a weed is different. "A weed is what survives heat, drought and neglect while the pampered and watered potted plants scorch and shrivel."

Hang in there, people. Let us be weeds.

This too shall pass.

How to Ripen Peaches

Peaches continue to ripen off the tree.

The GOOD NEWS There's hope even for the rock-hard peaches we find at the supermarket, they are just days from juice-drippling-down-your-chin ripeness.

The BAD NEWS The rock-hard peaches we find at the supermarket (and even the farmers market) are often days from juice-drippling-down-your-chin ripeness.

Yep, one and the same, both Good News & Bad News. But it's manageable.

To move the ripening process along, store a few peaches at a time in a closed paper bag at room temperature on the counter. I like to buy a few peaches at a time every few days just to have ripe peaches ever at the ready.

All GOOD NEWS Good summer peaches aren't hard to find ways to eat!

Summer Peaches:
Some Recipes to Try!

• Cornmeal Muffins with Peaches Start your day with muffins studded with peaches and a single pretty slice on top.
• Savory Peach Appetizer If you like fruit in savory dishes, start here, creamy with a small spike of heat.
• Roasted Peaches Super simple, when supper's a little skimpy.
• Peach-Pie Pudding It's a peach pie without the trouble or calories of a crust!
• Fresh Peach Pie My first peach pie recipe, the peaches are barely cooked, barely sweet.
• First-Prize Peach Pie Until ... yeah, a pie where the peach flavor is so intense, thanks to no peeling and no blanching.


• And you? Do you have some go-to peach recipes? Please do share!

QUICK SUPPER: BAKED CHICKEN with FRESH PEACHES

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 35 minutes
Serves 6 (easily multiplied & divided)

CHICKEN
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1-1/2 pounds
• Spice blend (see TIPS) or salt & pepper to taste

PEACHES
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped (see TIPS)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 ripe peaches, sliced

• Fresh basil, for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

CHICKEN Heat the oil on medium heat in a large, oven-safe skillet. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with a spice blend or salt and pepper. Gently arrange the chicken pieces in the hot skillet and let brown on one side for 2 - 3 minutes without moving, then turn over and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes on the other side. Transfer the meat to a plate, leaving the drippings in the skillet.

PEACHES Add onion to the skillet and let gently cook, just until softened. Stir in the ginger, garlic and fresh basil and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken stock (the pan should sizzle as it's added) and stir, collecting up the bits of "fond" on the bottom of the skillet. (That's called "deglazing" the pan! It's a way to gather up flavor for the peachy sauce instead of leaving it in the pan.)

Remove the skillet from the heat. Arrange the peaches around the edge of the skillet and chicken breasts in the center. Bake for 15 - 25 minutes until the juices in the center of the thickest part of the breast run clear; if you use a kitchen thermometer, cook the chicken, cook until the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165F/75C.

TO SERVE Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve tableside or slice the chicken, transfer to individual plates and serve.

ALANNA's TIPS Try to choose a spice blend with a little kick. Chicken breasts are <<< huge >>> anymore, the two shown in the photo weighed nearly a pound and a half, that's six servings, not two. If you're watching calories or counting points, you may want to cut the breasts into individual servings before browning. Another way to do this is to slice the breast meat after it's cooked, like a roast or a big family-style steak. Do you prefer dark meat? I often do too. Substitute chicken thighs or legs for breasts. Thick chops would be good too although the cooking time would be longer. To easily cut chop basil leaves, use the "chiffonade" technique. Stack the leaves one on top of another, then roll into a cylinder and cut crosswise across it.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per serving: 192 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 65mg Cholesterol; 229mg Sodium; 11g Carb; 2g Fiber; 9g Sugar; 28g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 4 & Points Plus 4 & SmartPoints 4 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 2 & blue 1 & purple 1 This recipe has been "Alanna-sized" with decreases in portion size and increases in flavor.

Adapted from Southern Living, a recipe which caught my eye in the June issue.

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Seasonal Cooking At the Height of Summer

Asian Chicken Salad Peacherry Blues (Peach, Cherry & Blueberry Sauce) Fruity Gazpacho Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Easy Radish Spread Pita Crisps Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Homemade Blackberry Sauce Carrot & Zucchini Bread (< this week's reader favorite) Homemade Peach Syrup with Fresh Peaches Baked Chicken with Fresh Peaches Peach-Pie Pudding Zucchini Spiral "Noodle" Salad (< Pinterest loves this!) Homemade Basil Pesto Blueberry Cheesecake Pie

This Week, Elsewhere

Summer Blend Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette from 54th Street Grill and Bar
~ more St. Louis Restaurant Recipes ~
My Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Cooler Corn - How to Cook Corn in a Beer Cooler
~ more Recent Recipes ~
A Veggie Venture

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More Quick-Supper Recipes for Summer

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more easy summer quick supper recipes ~

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Savoring the Season: More Recipes for Fresh Peaches

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more peach recipes ~

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ chicken recipes ~
~ peach recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. sti If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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