Chicken Breasts with a Fig, Bacon & Goat Cheese Sauce

The sauce has a creamy texture with earthy undertones and bit of sweetness from the figs and is perfect for a fall or winter meal.  This particular log of goat cheese was 5.5 oz. and only needed half is needed and other half can be used to make Creamy, Delicate, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, which is a great side for this entrée.  The reason for using Sonoma Farm Balsamic Vinegar Aged 25 Years is that it is like a balsamic reduction which is sweet and smooth.

Ingredients

1 cup of balsamic vinegar reduced to a reduction for garnish or use 1/2 cup of Sonoma Farm Balsamic Vinegar Aged 25 Years and and there will be no need for a reduction
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (remove any visible fat)
¼ cup of olive oil
Sprinkle of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 shallot finely diced
8 slices of pre-cooked bacon crumbled
1 sprig of sage, stem removed and finely diced
1 can of 99% fat free chicken broth
½ of a mini log of fresh goat cheese – a whole log is usually 5.5 oz.
1 – 7 oz. box of dried figs finely diced

Technique

Make balsamic vinegar reduction by adding balsamic vinegar to a small sauce pan over medium high heat and reduced by half. Use whisk to stir and continue stirring until consistency becomes thicker. It should coat a spoon.  Or use Sonoma Farm Balsamic Vinegar Aged 25 Years and this step can be eliminated.  Continue to make entrée. Add olive oil to a large skillet, season chicken with salt and pepper and cook chicken breasts over medium high heat. Turn once a very light brown. Once both sides are a light brown remove and place into a large baking dish. Then add shallots to skillet and stir until coated with remaining olive oil. Add bacon and sage stirring often. Add chicken broth and goat cheese. Mix with whisk to remove lumps from cheese. Finally add diced figs. Pour entire mixture over chicken and cover with foil or a lid. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Garnish with a balsamic reduction and a sage sprig. The fig, bacon, goat cheese sauce tastes wonderful drizzled over Creamy, Delicate, Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Suggested Beverage

Try Real De Aragon Garnacha by Pagos Familia Langa (Calatayud, Spain), Lo Brujo GarnaCha Calatayud (Spain), Rodney Strong Pinot Noir (California) or Healdsburg Ranches Appellation Series Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley).