Tonight we made something new and very different for us: Blackberry Chicken. Below, Kim describes was she did:

First, I have to thank my friend Amy in Colorado for a delicious and easy weeknight recipe. We’d never had these flavor combinations before and really enjoyed trying something new!

I decided to halve the recipe and the chicken pieces were a bit small so it was perfect for two servings, especially since we only had it with a simple green salad. Rather than a casserole dish, I used my Le Creuset Dutch oven, as it sits right on the stove and was handy and it also allowed me to make the sauce right in the same pot.

I followed the directions for mashing the blackberries and adding the chicken stock and other ingredients. From here I deviated just a bit from the recipe and sprinkled the thyme, salt, pepper, and remaining paprika directly on the chicken and then poured the blackberry mixture over the chicken.

I put it in the oven and I admit I completely forgot the step of basting occasionally with the pan juices. The end result was chicken that was tasty and moist, so I think it was an OK misstep. I used the 20 minutes that the chicken was in the oven to make a green salad with a dressing of white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper as well as to tidy up the kitchen.

Once the chicken was finished cooking, I transferred it to a plate so I could make the sauce directly in the Dutch oven. My chicken must have been very lean as there was no visible fat to skim. I had previously mixed the broth and cornstarch together in a measuring cup until well-combined so it was on hand when I was ready to make the sauce. I added it slowly to the pan drippings. The sauce seemed a little thick and tasted a little too sweet so I added just a bit of chicken stock, salt and a small sliver of butter which made it just the right amount of tangy and sweet.

I can definitely see why Amy mentioned this was one of her go to recipes. I’ll definitely be taking her suggestion to freeze some blackberries so that I can make it during the winter too.