Ingredients

For the chicken

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (or thighs w/bone)

1 Tbsp butter

Salt & pepper

1/4 cup bottled BBQ sauce

For the sauce:

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 large jalapeño, seeds removed and minced

1 cup tart frozen cherries

1/4 cup dried cherries

2 Tbsp chicken or veggie broth

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 Tbsp water

salt & pepper

Preparation

For the chicken:

  1. Preheat oven to 450. Heat butter in cast iron skillet over med-hi heat.
  2. Season both sides of chicken with S/P. Add chicken to skillet and pan sear about 5 minutes, until golden brown.
  3. Flip chicken over and spoon bottled BBQ sauce evenly over top. Transfer skillet to oven and bake 15 minutes or until cooked through.

For the cherry jalapeño sauce:

  1. Heat EVOO over med-hi heat in sauce pot. Add shallots and jalapeño and sautee 3 minutes, until softened.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
  3. Add both cherries, broth and brown sugar. Mix and bring to simmer.
  4. Simmer sauce and cook down for 10 minutes.
  5. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add the slurry to the sauce and stir until thickened, about 1 minute.
  6. Remove sauce from the heat. Use an immersion blender to blend sauce a bit, leaving some chunks. (sauce can also be left as is.) Season with S/P.
  7. Spoon sauce over cooked chicken and serve.