Recipe: Cherry Glazed Chicken

With cherries on top, this sweet and savory dish takes advantage of summer’s best picks.

Cherry Glazed Chicken
(Makes 6 servings)

• 1 broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste (used 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 16-ounce can unsweetened tart cherries
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1 cup fresh cherries, optional

Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Pour milk into shallow container. Combine flour, thyme, salt and pepper. Dip chicken first in milk, then in flour mixture; coat evenly. Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken; brown on all sides. Put chicken in 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Bake, covered with aluminum foil, in preheated 350 F-oven, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Combine cherry juice, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in small saucepan; mix well. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat. Add mustard; mix well. Cook 5 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in cherries. After chicken has cooked 30 minutes, remove from oven and uncover. Spoon hot cherry mixture over chicken. Bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Garnish with fresh cherries. Serve immediately.

Nutrition per serving (not including garnish):
Calories: 493
Total fat: 26 g (Saturated fat: 7)
Carbohydrates: 33 g
Cholesterol: 117 mg
Protein: 31 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sodium: 231 mg

Daily RDA values:
Vitamin A: 15 percent
Vitamin C: 8 percent
Calcium: 6 percent
Iron: 20 percent

Recipe courtesy of the Cherry Marketing Institute.