Chicken with Wine-Poached Plums

The sweetness of the poached plums breathes new life into chicken breast. Chicken breasts can easily dry out during cooking, so poaching them is an ideal way to keep the meat pleasantly moist.

4 red plums, pitted and thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125 mL) port wine 
1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 Tbsp (15 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 tsp (10 mL) minced fresh ginger
1 tsp (5 mL) orange zest
1 tsp (5 mL) fresh thyme
3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) sea salt
4 - 6 oz (170 g) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
5 1/2 cups (1.35 L) low-sodium chicken broth

Add plums, port, honey, vinegar, ginger, orange zest, thyme, cloves, and salt to medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until plums soften, about 12 minutes.

To poach chicken, place breasts in pot large enough that they lie flat in one layer and cover with broth. Make sure there is enough liquid to cover chicken by about 1 in (2.5 cm). Bring liquid to very slight simmer with just a few bubbles breaking the surface, reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through or until it registers 165 F (74 C) with meat thermometer. Adjust heat as needed during cooking to maintain the slight simmer and skim off any foam that rises to the surface.

Once cooked, discard poaching liquid. To serve, thinly slice chicken breasts and top with poached plums.

Serves 4.

Each serving contains: 257 calories; 39 g protein; 2 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 13 g total carbohydrates (11 g sugars, 1 g fibre); 256 mg sodium

source: "Stone Fruits", alive #369, July 2013