I really love pears and I wanted to make a chicken dish that would incorporate pears and blue cheese. I bought boneless, skin-on chicken breasts that I marinated in a champagne vinaigrette. After marinating my chicken for three hours, I tucked blue cheese and pears under the skin before baking.

Before placing my chicken in a preheated 425 degree oven, I peeled back the skin, placed blue cheese and pears on the meat, pulled the skin back over the chicken and sprinkled kosher salt and pepper over the chicken.

I baked the chicken for 40 minutes. Once it was done, I drizzled balsamic glaze over the chicken. I like the way the balsamic glaze added a finishing touch to my chicken.

The blue cheese melted perfectly, giving my entire chicken breast that wonderful flavor and “bite” you get from blue cheese.

Ingredients

• boneless, skin-on chicken breasts

• 1 bottle light champagne vinaigrette

• blue cheese

• 1/2 pear

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• drizzle of balsamic glaze

Directions

Place chicken in a glass dish, sprinkling both sides with salt and pepper. Pour vinaigrette over chicken, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to marinate for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pull chicken from marinade and place on a rack on a large sheet pan. Spray the pan and and the rack the chicken will be on with non-stick spray. I like to do this for easier clean-up. Pull the skin back on the chicken and place enough blue cheese to cover the meat. Place two pear slices over the cheese and pull the skin back over the chicken. Sprinkle the skin with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper.

Bake for 40 minutes. Once the chicken is done, drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve. Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris