If you found it hard to get the five daily servings of produce you’ve been told for years you need, you’ll probably find it even harder to get the seven to 10 servings recommended by Canada’s Food Guide.
But adding a fruit chutney or compote to your dinner plate — rather than just over a dessert — can help nudge you along.
Chutneys and compotes are both good choices, especially between seasons when fruits aren’t necessarily at their best.
Both types of sauces usually are cooked, which means that even if the fruits aren’t that sweet, any sugars they do have will concentrate, and the resulting flavours will be much more intense.
Compotes can be made with fresh or dried fruit, which usually is left chunky and baked or simmered in a light syrup. It can be served as a side or topping to a savoury entree, such as chicken or pork.
A chutney is a condiment made with fruits, vegetables or legumes. They can vary in texture, be sweet or sour, and range in spiciness from mild to very hot.
Chutney can be made from a mixture of raw ingredients, but the most familiar versions, such as mango chutney, are cooked and consist of a fruit or vegetable, sugar, vinegar and spices.
This recipe for sauteed chicken breasts with strawberry-blueberry chutney is a delicious example of adding fruit sauces to your dinner plate. Early spring strawberries (which may not be their ripest) are cooked with intensely flavoured, sweet dried blueberries, chopped red onion and spicy fresh ginger to create a sweet and savoury sauce that complements chicken, pork or beef.
If you like, substitute fresh rhubarb for the strawberries to create a more bracing chutney.
Chicken Breasts With
Strawberry-Blueberry
Chutney
Start to finish: 30 minutes
10 ml (2 tsp) canola oil
125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped red onion
500 ml (2 cups) quartered strawberries
125 ml (1/2 cup) dried blueberries
75 ml (1/3 cup) brown sugar
30 ml (2 tbsp) red wine vinegar
10 ml (2 tsp) minced fresh ginger
50 ml (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
5 ml (1 tsp) salt
2 ml (1/2 tsp) ground black pepper
15 ml (1 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
5 ml (1 tsp) butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 625 g/1 1/4 lb)
Heat oven to 190 C (375 F).
In a small saucepan over medium, heat canola oil. Add onion and saute until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add strawberries, dried blueberries, brown sugar, vinegar and ginger. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until berries are softened and breaking down, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge both sides of each breast through seasoned flour.
In a large non-stick oven-safe skillet over medium, heat olive oil and butter. Add chicken and cook for about 10 minutes per side.
Transfer chicken to oven and cook for another 5 minutes or until an instant thermometer inserted at the thickest part reads 74 C (165 F). Serve chicken topped with strawberry-blueberry chutney.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 412 calories; 82 calories from fat; 9 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 87 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 35 g protein; 5 g fibre; 695 mg sodium.