Quince-glazed chicken

Quince is a fruit popular from the Mediterranean through the Middle East. We most commonly see this as a paste (Membrillo) served on a cheese platter paired with some sharp cheeses. However, it is also used as a base for marinades, stews, and other dishes that call for a complex, slightly sweet flavor. More on Membrillo here.

Sabrina Ghayour is a chef, TV celebrity and cookbook author. She has published several cookbooks, and I have most of them, with absolutely amazing recipes. I have just got this book and started cooking through the recipes. They are amazing, and most of the recipes are super simple, like this salad. You will see more recipes from this book and this fantastic chef.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients

4 ounces membrillo

1/2 cup good-quality apple juice (preferably unfiltered)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for frying

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

14 ounces chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into 1-inch-thick strips

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the glaze mixture, put the membrillo, apple juice, olive oil, and spices into a medium-sized bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, and mix well until the mixture is broken down and smooth. Mix in the chicken strips, then cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour overnight in the fridge.

There are a few ways you can cook this dish:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle in enough oil to coat the base of the pan, and, using tongs, place the marinated chicken strips into the pan (not too close together) and fry them for a few minutes on each side until nicely browned all over and cooked through. As the glaze contains sugar, the chicken may blacken somewhat as the sugar caramelizes, but that is OK.

You can also grill the chicken until it is cooked through and charred in places. Baste often, using as much of the glaze as possible, to get a wonderful caramelization on the chicken.

Finally, you can broil (400°F on convect broil or just broil) the chicken in the oven on a foil-lined cookie sheet for about 15 minutes till charred in spots and cooked through