Problem with Raspberry Balsamic Chicken

[RunnerKim]

After so many raves of the Raspberry Balsamic Chicken I finally got it squeezed in my menu.

It says to saute the chopped onion (1/2c) in 1 tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes and then add the chx breast and cook for another 12 minutes (6 per side of breast). My problem came in that my onion was completely burned.

I did chop the onion in my food processor as my eyes are extremely sensitive to onion - perhaps this chopped it too finely? I also only did a half recipe - not much oil! Was I suppose to take the onion out before putting in the chicken??

I enjoyed the recipe, especially since it was quick and simple. And now that I've tracked down seedless raspberry preserves I'd like to try it again, but need to figure the onions out.

(The recipe can be found at http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/000448.html)

Kim

[JodiL]

Kim, I don't think the problem was with the size of the chopped onions. Did you make it in a non-stick skillet? My onions were definitely very browned, like they carmelized. I used a nonstick skillet and the recommended amount of oil. If your onions burned, I would use a little more oil next time (and maybe even more if the skillet isn't nonstick).

I hope you try this one again--we really liked it. Good Luck http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Jodi

[MaryB]

I have made this recipe many times. The first time I made it I also had my onions burn and I used a non-stick pan with canola oil. What I do now is throw in the onions for about 1 minute and then put in the chicken. I also shake the pan several times while the chicken is cooking to try and turn the onion pieces. When they are brown enough, I usually try to pile them on top of the chicken so that they don't cook anymore.

I do like this recipe a lot because its quick, easy, and I can usually make it on a whim.

[sushibones]

I just made this last week. I think I took the onions out while cooking the chicken, and put them back in before doing the sauce. However, while reading the comments, it occured to me that you could just cook the chicken first, keep it warm, and saute the onions after. If you use a nonstick skillet, you wouldn't need the oil for the chicken; then you could add just a little for the onions which would help pick up the chicken juices, which sounds even better. If you took the chicken out of the skillet just shy of being completely cooked, it could finish cooking while you made the sauce. I put my chicken in the oven preheated to 200 and then turned the heat off.

[Marcie]

I usually do what MaryB does above. I also sometimes slightly undercook the chicken, then throw the sauce ingredients right on top and stir until the preserves melt. I'll do that if the onions seem to be going from "carmelized" to "charcoal" too quickly and I want the sauce to get the onions wet fast. It's not as pretty as ladling the sauce over the chicken separately, but works fine.

[RunnerKim]

Thanks for the responses! I will try again without cooking the onions so long has cooked. One thing I wonder - I reached for the olive oil without even thinking (was in a hurry of course) - and saw with MaryB's comment that the recipe did call for veg. oil. I know different oils have different burnings temps and that could be part of the problem (I did use a non-stick skillet).

thanks again,
Kim

[laden]

I had the same problem. I think it was because I used a really large skillet (12") Next time I'll use a 10"

[lanie]

You know Laden - that is exactly what I thought about - same thing happened to me and gave the recipe to a friend and she mentioned the 'burned' onions - I think the size of the pan has a huge bearing on the results - love that recipe - but going to use a smaller skillet this time for sure.