This delicious summer recipe offers the best of both worlds—a little spice with just the right sweetness. With pan-seared chicken breasts, a chipotle-strawberry sauce, and fresh jalapeño-strawberry salsa to top it off, this recipe will no doubt become a family favorite.
Choose your side—rice, roasted baby potatoes, sweet potatoes, or even your favorite pasta—and this nutritious recipe will have you sitting down to the dinner table with your family in under an hour.
Servings: 4–6
Prep/Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium-sized chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 3 medium-sized garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 2 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt (or regular salt to taste)
- 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 16 oz. fresh, ripe strawberries (halved and sliced)
- 3 jalapeños (seeded and chopped)
- 2 shallots (chopped)
- 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. Modena balsamic vinegar
- 1 chipotle chili in adobo (chopped—set aside 1 tsp. adobo sauce)
- 2 Tbsp. barbecue sauce (smoky or sweet, depending on your taste)
- 2 Tbsp. wildflower or clover honey
Instructions:
- Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with black pepper and 2 tsp. salt.
- Sear chicken until golden brown (160°F, approximately 7–8 minutes per side), then remove and place on a plate.
- Toss fresh cilantro, 1 cup strawberries, 1/3 cup jalapeños, 2 Tbsp. shallots, 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl.
- Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil in the same skillet with the garlic, remaining jalapeños, shallots, and a pinch of salt, stirring occasionally, for approximately 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, stir, and deglaze the pan.
- Add the chipotle chili, adobo sauce, barbecue sauce, honey, and remaining strawberries.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the strawberries soften, about 7–8 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and heat through while spooning the strawberry salsa over top.
- Top the chicken with cilantro and serve.
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