Better Homes and Gardens Pan-Seared Chicken with Cherry-Tarragon Sauce

I try to only cook red meat a couple of times a week, both for my budget and my family's health. The rest of the week I cook chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes. My two boys love any chicken dish, but my husband and I find chicken breast to be dry. Finding good chicken thigh recipes that don't rely on frying can be hard and I tend to make the same type of recipe over and over. I was interested when the May issue of Better Homes and Gardens had a recipe for Pan-Seared Chicken with Cherry-Tarragon Sauce.

All the ingredients in this recipe were easy to find at my local grocery store. I was a week too early to find fresh cherries, so I purchased frozen instead. I used the Merlot I keep in my fridge for the red wine: no need to buy new wine for a recipe. Couscous was already in my cupboard, as I tend to use it a lot with dishes. The prep work needed for this recipe is minimal, easily under 5 minutes. The only thing that has to be cut is the tarragon, which is snipped. This recipe is very easy to follow and requires minimal effort and cooking skill. I was able to cook while my two boys ran around the kitchen, and the whole meal took less than 25 minutes, including prep.

This recipe is a nice change to an everyday pan-seared chicken dish. I appreciate that it incorporates fruit, without being overly sweet. The one modification that I would make to the recipe is to puree the sauce in a food processor after being cooked. The consistency of the cherries is too close to chicken thigh fat for people who are texture sensitive (such as my husband). I would try this recipe again with the aforementioned change, my whole family thought it was a good weekday dinner.

For the recipe go to Pan-Seared Chicken with Cherry-Tarragon Sauce.