Chicken with Cherry Barbecue Sauce

 

 

 

We loved this barbecue sauce. I’ll make it again and again, I’m sure. It’s tangy and thick, and the cherry flavor comes through nicely.

I made this for my husband’s birthday, so I was relieved it was so good. It also fits into my mission to cook from every cookbook I own; in this case, McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant Cookbook by William King. He notes that the recipe originated at a Midwest restaurant; Michigan is the biggest U.S. supplier of tart dried cherries.

My changes included sautéing the chicken rather than grilling it because our grill isn’t working and we’re out of propane anyway. I used blue cheese instead of Gorgonzola because I lost the latter. In the fridge! Or rather, one of the refrigerators (one is in the basement). My only defense is that they’re both sort of full. For that, in a house of two people, I have no defense. There are a lot of condiments and salad dressings, just about every one known to Trader Joe’s, area groceries and TJ Maxx’s gourmet section. I love trying new things.

I also used about 1/4 cup extra dried cherries and added the liquid from the soaked cherries to the sauce. Be sure to blend the sauce at least a bit (I used an immersion blender) because that’s what ensures cherry flavor throughout. I made the sauce the day ahead  and reheated it, which worked fine. I skipped the Tabasco.

And I borrowed my sister’s trick: Halving the chicken breast pieces horizontally. They cooked much faster, and I love time-savers that don’t affect flavor.

 

Chicken with Michigan Cherry Barbecue Sauce

 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup vegetable oil (if grilling)

1 tbsp. butter (if sautéing)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground pepper

1 1/2 cups Michigan Cherry Barbecue Sauce (below)

1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

 

Barbecue sauce:

1 1/4 cups tart dried cherries

1 cup hot water

1 cup ketchup

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup small-dice onion

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1 tbsp. Tabasco (optional, plus that sounds pretty spicy)

2 tsp. kosher salt

 

If grilling, coat the chicken with the oil and season with the salt, pepper and paprika.  Grill over a hot fire, basting with small amounts of the sauce until just done. Or you can sauté the chicken in a little butter.

Place the chicken on a platter and top each piece with one or two tablespoons of  sauce. (You can tell from the photo that I don’t think 1 or 2 tablespoons is enough sauce! I bet you won’t, either.) Crumble the cheese over.

To make the sauce:

Plump the cherries in the hot water. (I nuked them in the water for about a minute and let them soak while I started the sauce.) Lightly sauté the onions in the butter until soft. Add the remaining ingredients except the cherries and cook on low for 5  minutes. Add the cherries with liquid and cook for another 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Blend in a food processor (or use an immersion blender) until it has a semi-smooth appearance.