FUZZY NAVEL CHICKEN (Dated Dec. 7th, 2009)

The subtle flavor of peach adds a luscious touch to the moist and tender chicken.

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 whole chicken breasts, halved, skinned and boned
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 cup Peach Schnapps
1/2 cup whole roased cashews
fresh orange slices

Combine first six ingredients with a wire whisk. Set aside.

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness with meat mallet, or a hammer if that's all you have. Heat oil in your largest skillet, add chicken. Brown well over medium heat, remove. Add Schnapps to skillet and deglaze pan over medium-high heat reducing liquid by half. Return chicken breasts to skillet and cook, coating on all sides with browned Schnapps. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Add cashews to skillet and stir to coat well. Add orange juice mixture, cooking over medium heat, stirring until sauce is thick and smooth.
Pour sauce over chicken and top with cashews. Garnish with orange slices.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

COOKS NOTE: Deglaze means to add some sort of liquid, usually wine, to a pan in which meat has been cooked or browned. The resulting liquid is then used in a sauce incorporating the flavor of the meat into the sauce.

“What is sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander but is not necessarily sauce for the chicken, the duck, the turkey or the guinea hen.”-Anne Tyler