Thyme Infused Chicken Breasts With Pomegranate Sauce Recipes

THYME-INFUSED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH POMEGRANATE SAUCE

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix cold water, salt, peppercorns, smashed garlic and 3 thyme sprigs until salt is dissolved. Add chicken and stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes but no more than 3 hours.
• Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
• In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering and hot. Add chicken, skin sides down, and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown. Use long-handled tongs to turn chicken and cook 5 minutes longer or until golden. Reduce heat to low.
• Simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, without turning, until juice of chicken is no longer pink when thickest part is cut to bone (170°F). Remove chicken from skillet and place on plate, reserving drippings in skillet. Cover tightly with foil; set aside.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix butter and flour with your fingers or a spoon. Knead mixture until it is a smooth paste; set aside.
• Pour out all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Place skillet over medium heat and stir in onion. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until soft. Add finely chopped garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute longer.
• Add wine and increase heat to high. Heat to boiling, scraping any browned bits off bottom of skillet. Boil wine 5 minutes or until reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
• Add broth and 1 thyme sprig to skillet. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until reduced by half. Add pomegranate juice and brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring pomegranate mixture with wire whisk.
• Pinch off about half of the butter-flour paste. Drop this into boiling sauce and quickly beat in with wire whisk. Repeat with remaining paste, stirring constantly. Heat sauce to boiling and boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve sauce with chicken.

LEMON-THYME CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, chicken broth, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, garlic, chicken bouillon, and thyme in a small bowl. Mix together thoroughly.
• Combine flour and salt on a small dish. Coat chicken with flour on both sides.
• Heat butter and remaining olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low and pour broth mixture and lemon slices over chicken. Cover and simmer until no longer pink in the centers, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with lemon slices on top, spooning the broth over the chicken.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Toss in 2 of the garlic cloves and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it and discard--it has fulfilled its garlic destiny.
• Season the chicken thighs with salt and place them skin side down in the pan. Don't crowd the pan or the thighs will steam instead of brown--you may have to work in batches here, no worries. Brown the chicken thighs really well on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes total.
• Transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through.
• Ditch the oil from the pan and add 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of the pomegranate molasses along with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, scraping the mixture from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it evaporate by half--it should be slightly thick and syrupy. Season with salt.
• Return the chicken to the pan, along with the juices from the sheet pan, scraping up any bits. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook in the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the sauce thickens and it clings to the chicken in a yummy embrace.
• While the chicken roasts, add the remaining molasses, stock, and garlic to the pan along with the thyme bundle and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Taste and season with salt if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer (BTB, RTS). Cook until the liquid is thick and syrupy. Discard the garlic cloves and thyme bundle.
• Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the sauce, and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and chives before serving.

ORANGE-THYME CHICKEN IN GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Place orange juice and 2 tablespoons thyme in an 8-in. square baking dish; add chicken. Refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes., Remove chicken from orange juice mixture; pat chicken dry. Reserve 1/3 cup marinade; discard remaining marinade., In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook chicken 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Using tongs, remove chicken from pan, reserving butter in pan., Stir in flour until blended. Cook 30-45 seconds, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Gradually stir in broth and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened., Stir in green onions, roasted garlic, orange zest and remaining minced thyme. Return chicken to pan; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, 4-5 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°. If desired, serve with orange slices and thyme sprigs.

LEMON THYME CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. Set aside 4-1/2 teaspoons for sauce. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture over both sides of chicken. , In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook until juices run clear, 7-9 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm. , In the same pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir in thyme and reserved flour mixture until blended. Gradually stir in broth and lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve over chicken. Sprinkle with thyme.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH LEMON-THYME SAUCE

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts between two layers of plastic wrap and lightly pound them to an even thickness (about 1/2 inch). Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.
• While chicken rests, whisk together lemon juice, thyme, sugar, red-pepper flakes, oil, and 2 teaspoons salt.
• Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking; let grates get very hot (this ensures a good sear without drying out meat).
• Oil grates and cook chicken, turning occasionally, until charred in places and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a serving dish. Pour or spoon sauce over pieces while still warm; serve.

LEMON AND THYME GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment or plastic wrap. Using a mallet or rolling pin, pound each to an even thickness of 1/2 inch. Do not make them any thinner or they could dry out.
• Place chicken in a large bowl and toss with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Mix in olive oil. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. Remove chicken from fridge while you heat the grill.
• Light the grill, building a hot fire, or heat your gas grill to high. Once grill is fully heated, brush breasts lightly with olive oil and place chicken on the grill. Cook until undersides are browned and chicken is about halfway cooked, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip breasts and grill until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Transfer chicken to a platter. Drizzle with oil and garnish with additional lemon juice, olive oil and basil or mint leaves.