Caramelized Fall Fruit Salad with Chicken

Ingredients

• 8 oz apples 
• 1 ounce cheese blue crumbled
• 8 oz firm-ripe pear such as bosc 
• 1 tablespoon firmly brown sugar packed
• 0.5 tablespoon butter 
• 0.3 cup hazelnuts 
• 0.5 cup orange juice 
• 0.7 cup rice vinegar 
• 4 oz baby salad mix rinsed
• 0.5 tablespoon salad oil 
• 2 servings salt and pepper 
• 10 oz boned 

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven
• plastic wrap
• baking pan
• aluminum foil

Directions

1. Put hazelnuts in an 8- to 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Bake in a 350 regular or convection oven until nuts are golden beneath skins, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Pour from pan onto a towel. When cool enough to handle, rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins. Lift nuts from towel and coarsely chop; discard skins.
4. Rinse chicken and pat dry.
5. Place each breast between two sheets of plastic wrap. With a flat mallet, gently pound to about 1/2 inch thick. Peel off plastic and sprinkle chicken lightly on both sides with salt and pepper.
6. Heat oil in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat; when hot, add chicken and turn occasionally until pieces are lightly browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center (cut to test), 6 to 8 minutes total.
7. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
8. Meanwhile, rinse, peel, and core pear and apple; cut each lengthwise into 8 wedges.
9. Add butter and brown sugar to frying pan; stir over medium-high heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute.
10. Add fruit and stir often until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar and orange juice, bring to a boil, and stir often until fruit is tender when pierced and liquid is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
11. Divide salad greens equally between two dinner plates and set a chicken breast half on each mound. Spoon hot fruit and liquid over chicken and greens.
12. Sprinkle evenly with toasted hazelnuts and blue cheese.
13. Add more salt and pepper to taste.