Chicken with Sweet Malt Sauce

Everyone who knows me knows that I love sweet and tart together. Like the roasted strawberries I just featured...or a good barbecue sauce. Or this. It is a little like an American barbecue sauce but with a definite European flair. I used malt vinegar as the base and no tomato. If you are gluten free, opt for apple cider or wine vinegar, and dilute it just a bit. The vinegar, famous in the UK as the accompaniment for fish and chips, is sweetened with some Swerve, and made much more interesting with the addition of some herbs and spices.

Watch when you cook the sauce, as it comes to a boiling/thickening point quickly. I made mine first, then pan fried my chicken. When I went back for the sauce, it had hardened. I almost had malt vinegar candy. Fortunately, it softened back up with just a minute on the stove top. The sauce will get very syrupy and strands will actually fall away from the spoon. Yum. No thickening agents needed at all. Must be the Swerve. I am not sure if a concentrated stevia or sucralose would perform the same.

The sauce is really highly flavored, so don't overdo. I made a recipe for two. Just me and the mister tonight. This is kinda more grown up food, so you may not plan on feeding this sauce to the kiddos. Give them some honey mustard or cheese. I was inspired by a sauce on Bon Appetit, so consider yourself a gourmet when you make this. No, not really. It is quite simple to prepare. Just the flavor profile is unusual. It reminded me of some of the medieval recipes we researched when studying that period. Vinegar was a key flavoring. Yes, I am certainly a history nerd.

Chicken with Sweet Malt Sauce

2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp coconut oil

Sauce:
1/4 cup malt vinegar
3 tbsp powdered Swerve
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper

Pound the chicken breasts flat. Heat oil in a heavy skillet and pan fry until cooked through and golden. Keep warm. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, Swerve, and all herbs and spices. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until the mixture  comes to a boil and thickens. It will reduce by half or more. Spoon over chicken and serve.

Serves 2.  172 calories    <1 carb

If the photos look different, it is because I spooned the sauce over one, and spread it over the other. Do it either way you prefer.

School is going really well. It is tiring, but so rewarding. I am very excited too. I just heard that my oldest son and his beautiful bride are coming in for the Labor Day weekend. I miss them so much living a state away. I had better finish up the Diner News so I can be sure to get to spend all my time with them. Be watching for it on Sept. 1st.

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