Airline chicken topped with the most incredible cherry sauce over a bed of rosemary roasted potatoes
This dish is a winner. If you’re looking for the perfect summertime chicken dish, you’ve come to the right place. (Technically, you could make this all winter with high-quality frozen cherries, if your heart desires.) Here a fresh cherry sauce is spooned over perfectly grilled airline chicken breast and served over a bed of rosemary roasted potatoes with a rosemary sprig garnish.
I came up with this elegant dish for my Midsummer Night’s Dream garden party inspired by William Shakespeare’s classic play. I wanted a twist on the line, “Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!” I adore cherries in the summer and this is the kind of meal that gets me excited: an awesome cut of meat with a beautiful sauce served al fresco.
The sauce is super simple and takes just fifteen minutes. Sauté garlic in olive oil, add cherries and balsamic vinegar, let it reduce and let the cherries cook down, then stir in fresh rosemary. Your whole house will smell divine.
The airline cut is a skin-on boneless chicken breast with a drummette and tenderloin attached, though I usually cut off the chicken tenders and cook those separately. If you can’t find airline chicken, use a skin-on chicken breast. I got my Windy Meadows chicken from my local farmers market and I encourage you to buy local as often as possible.
I hope you love this easy dish as much as I do!
Note: for Midsummer I doubled the cherry sauce recipe and spooned it over 6 chicken breasts.
Kissing Cherries Chicken
4 skin-on chicken breasts (airline cut if you can find it)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Garnish: 8 fresh rosemary sprigs, optional
- Cook chopped garlic in olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes until golden.
- Add cherries and balsamic vinegar and cook until cherries have softened and balsamic has reduced, about ten minutes.
- Stir in chopped rosemary. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Rub with olive oil. Grill on high heat (about 400) until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 5-10 minutes per side.
- Serve chicken with rosemary roasted potatoes and a heaping spoonful of cherry sauce. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Potatoes
Salt, pepper, olive oil
Fresh rosemary
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set jelly roll pan in oven to preheat.
- Quarter potatoes. Toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil to coat. Spread potatoes evenly on preheated jelly roll pan. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven. Toss potatoes with chopped fresh rosemary. Continue roasting for an additional ten minutes or until nicely golden. Top with additional rosemary if desired.
Want another Shakespeare recipe? Read more about A Midsummer Night’s Dream here. Watch the episode:
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Stay saucy,
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