Mediterranean Chicken and Yams


Skinless chicken is a great source of easily digestible protein (breasts are the cuts with the highest amount) but it can be tricky to cook- you need to make sure there is no pink left or salmonella is a real threat, but if cooked for too long it can get so dry because of its low fat content. Throwing it in the oven with some broth and extra vegetables is my favorite way to prepare it because you end up with a moist, flavorful dish that will not give anyone food poisoning. This chicken is easy and very low maintenance but the yams are slightly more involved, with more steps needed. That being said, they can be a nice alternative to plain baked yams.

Mediterranean Chicken and Yams
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS:
  • Hasselback Yams
  • 2 small yams (around the size of a closed fist)
  • 2 teaspoons cold-pressed olive oil, separated
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Poached Chicken
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • ¾ cup vegetable broth
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¼ cup green olives (I recommend Castelvetrano, if available)
  • ¼ cup yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, halved
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Using a very sharp paring knife make slits in the yams, around ⅛" apart and around ¾ of the way down- the base of the yam needs to stay intact so don't slice all the way. Place the yams on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush one teaspoon of the olive oil all over the top with a pastry brush (or your fingers), try and make sure some gets into the slits but don't pull them apart yet because the yams will not be very pliable when they are raw. Bake for 20 minutes, by now the separate sections should be more flexible. If any of the segments are stuck together just cut them apart carefully again. Combine the remaining olive oil with the other ingredients and brush on top and in between the slits. Bake for 45 more minutes, occasionally brushing the oil mixture that seeps out back on top if desired- kind of like basting meat. The tips of the segments should crisp up nicely like chips while the base gets dense and creamy, but if the tips start to burn cover the whole yams with a sheet of aluminum foil.
  2. Now prepare the chicken by placing it in a narrow baking dish, with all the other ingredients on top and around the chicken breasts. Pour the broth on and place in the oven for 40 minutes.


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