Sautéed Chicken with Almonds and Cherries

          It was a laid-back Sunday with plans to watch the Academy Awards that evening. My wife, Leslie, came home this week with a recipe from Weight Watchers for sautéed tilapia with almonds and cherries. It sounded like an interesting dish to try so I assembled the ingredients using substitutes for some.

          I keep certain basics in my freezer (i.e., shrimp, lamb chops, chicken pieces and fish), which make it convenient to produce those last-minute dinners. I took a nice 12 ounce piece of cod from the freezer, even though the recipe called for tilapia—a  easy substitute. I soaked a handful of dried cherries in warm water for a few minutes (the recipe called for fresh, but this is February, not July). And by pounding in a baggy, I chopped a half cup of almonds because I didn’t have the “sliced” variety.

          I defrosted the fish in a bowl of room temperature water for 20 minutes or so, only to discover that I had defrosted a nice boneless chicken breast by mistake!

          What do I do now? Keeping to my philosophy that anything you like to eat separately can be combined and eaten together, I changed the “fish” dish to a “chicken” meal. It turned out to be a tasty variation of the Weight Watchers recipe. Just slice the chicken breasts into medallions, approximately 4 to 6 ounces each. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan for two to three minutes. Cook the medallions for two minutes or so on each side until browned. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add one tablespoon of oil and next add the onions in the same pan. At the end, I added some chicken broth, instead of vegetable broth, to the sauce.

          I’ll bet this dish would work well with shrimp, too. But here’s the original recipe, courtesy of Weight Watchers – 4 points per serving.

Ingredients:

·        1 tbsp. sliced almonds

·        1 lb. raw tilapia, 4-oz. fillets (or try sole or flounder)

·        ¼ tsp. table salt

·        ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

·        3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

·        1 small onion, chopped

·        2 tbsp. dry white wine, or dry vermouth

·        ½ cup sweet cherries, pitted and halved (if using frozen cherries, thaw first)

·        ½ cup reduced-sodium, fat-free vegetable broth

·        ¼ tsp dried thyme

Directions:

1.     Toast the almonds in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-low heat until aromatic and golden, shaking the pan often, about four minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2.     Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp. of oil in the skillet, and then add the fish. Cook until firm and lightly browned, about two minutes, then flip and cook about two more minutes. Remove fish to four serving plates.

3.     Heat remaining teaspoons of oil in the skillet, then add the onion. Cook until softened, about two minutes. Add wine or vermouth; loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook for 20 seconds, and then add cherries, broth, and thyme. Heat until simmering; cook for 30 seconds to reduce slightly, divide sauce and toasted almonds among the fish. Serve at once.