BAKED CHICKEN WITH PEACHES
Serves: 4
3 ripe peaches
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 to 2 lb/ 680-907 g total) Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup (80 mL) packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground ginger 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground mace or freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 lemon
Basil leaves (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Have a large, shallow roasting pan at hand. Boil a kettle of water.
2. Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to cut a wide “X” at the bottom of each peach.
3. Pour boiling water into a deep heatproof bowl. Add the peaches and let them sit for about a minute; you should see the skins start to curl where you scored the fruit. Remove peaches, carefully peel and discard skins.
4. As soon as the fruit is cool enough to handle, cut it in half, discard the pit and then cut each peach into about 8 equal slices.
5. Place the chicken breast halves between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness of 1/2 inch (1.3 cm), then season with salt and pepper.
6. Arrange them in the pan in a single layer.
7. For a more fruit-forward flavour, sprinkle the chicken with the brown sugar, ginger and mace or nutmeg, then top each one with the sliced peaches. For a sweeter treatment, place the peaches directly on the chicken, then sprinkle the fruit with the brown sugar, ginger and mace or nutmeg.
8. Squeeze the lemon half’s juice evenly over each portion. Bake (middle rack) for 20 minutes, or until the centre of the chicken registers 155 F (68 C) on an instant-read thermometer and is browned on top; the sugar and spices will give the dish a more browned look. There should be a fair amount of pan juices.
9. Chop the basil, if using, and scatter it over the chicken. Serve warm with pan juices over couscous.