FC Day 12- Chicken Thighs with Pear & Leek Sauce

I'm usually a white-meat kinda girl, but I thought I'd give this recipe from Eating Well a try. Not too shabby, for dark meat ;)

The trimming, cutting & peeling is most of the work, but once you get started, it’s a pretty quick and easy process. I though that the combination of ingredients was interesting: leeks, pears, and currant jelly…well, pears & currant jelly aren’t that odd of a pair, and maybe leeks aren’t either, but I’m sort of new to the whole cooking-with-leeks game, so you’ll have to bear with me. 


Chicken Thighs w/Pear & Leek Sauce
Source: Eating Well

Ingredients

• 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed (see Tip)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 large firm ripe pear, peeled and diced
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons currant jelly

Preparation

1. Place sliced leek in a colander; rinse and drain well.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown and soften, about 2 minutes. Add pear and 1/4 cup broth; simmer until the pear is soft and the broth is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup broth and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add currant jelly to the pan and cook, stirring, until melted. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat with sauce.