Caramelized Onion Chicken

The secret ingredient in the sauce for this sweet-spicy chicken is raspberry jam.  I recommend sauteed haricots verts on the side to round out the meal.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces Gardein chicken*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup sliced onion
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam**
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1. Sprinkle the Gardein chicken evenly with the salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion; saute for 2 minutes.  Add the chicken; saute for 8 minutes.  Remove the onion and chicken from the pan.

3. Add the jam, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and rosemary.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Return the chicken and onion to the pan and cook for a final 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*As with my recipe for Curried Chicken and Chickpeas, I recommend smaller-sized pieces of Gardein for this dish, such as their buffalo or barbecue wings.  Both are sold in the freezer section, and come with an accompanying sauce.  Discard the sauce, or save for another use, and use the plain chicken for the recipe.  Although there's no need to thaw the frozen chicken before adding to the skillet, I find that it cooks more evenly if I give it a quick defrost in the microwave.

**There are many brands of vegan jam on the market (sweetened with organic sugar or simply fruit juice), but nearly all contain seeds.  I do recommend seedless jam for this recipe, however, which is harder to find (when ruling out companies that use high fructose corn syrup - vegan, but yuck).  One good option is the seedless raspberry jam from Sorrell Ridge. However, any organic raspberry jam with seeds will work in a pinch.  

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (3 ounces chicken, 1 tablespoon sauce), Calories 246 

Tasting Notes:
An odd blend of ingredients, but the raspberry, ginger, and soy sauce married perfectly, and the bright rosemary flavor was delicious.  I recommend plating about 5 minutes before serving - the raspberry mixture will thicken slightly as it cools, and then coats the chicken beautifully.  I wanted more caramelized onion, especially since it is in the title of the recipe.  I would triple the amount and caramelize way down with vegan sugar before adding the chicken to the pan and proceeding as directed.

Rating:
4