This is a great all-around, have on-hand type of recipe that came about a couple nights ago. I was scrounging around for dinner and there was only cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving in the fridge. I knew that I needed to use up the rest of the cranberry sauce so I thought I could use it up on a couple chicken breasts. You really could use almost any type of fruit preserves like raspberry or peach with this recipe. It’s perfect for the chicken breasts, but would be great on a whole chicken cooked over indirect heat or pork chops or pork roast as well. I bet it would rock on lamb too, now that I think about it.
When I use glazes or finishing sauce sauces, I like to start brushing them on in the last few minutes, especially on direct heat. I brush it on and flip it so that the sugars in the glaze begin to caramelize giving an even deeper smoky flavor.
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup cranberry sauce or other fruit preserves
- ¼ ketchup
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 30 to 45 seconds, but do not let it color. Add the balsamic vinegar - stand back a little as it can splatter up a bit. Bring the vinegar to a boil and reduce by half. Turn down the heat once it is reduced and stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to come together and then remove from the heat. Use immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Cheers and Happy Grilling!
– Jeff
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