Recipe: $7.05 | Per Serving: $1.76 | Yield: 4 Servings
The most super delicious flavor-pairing combination: caramelized onions & dried figs. It's back on the blog!
One of my early recipes on this blog is one that I make quite often. Caramelized onions with dried figs and kale. It's super fantastic. I used to serve it with shredded chicken and quinoa. This version is basically the same, but instead of expensive kale & quinoa, we're going for spinach and garlic mashed potatoes. You're going to LOVE IT. I also wanted to include it with the price for the full meal for reference.
This recipe is the perfect vehicle for any dark leafy greens you've got - from easy frozen spinach to leafy swiss chard. The greens soak up some of the awesome sweet & salty flavors, so feel free to experiment with leftover CSA greens.
I've used both mission figs and turkish figs (dried) for this recipe, and the results are pretty much the same. I didn't actually notice a difference in taste at all. The turkish figs I've found tended to be drier than the mission figs though.
Once you make your masterpiece, you can freeze it, or divvy it up into lunch containers and bring it to work! It's addictively delicious. You're going to love it!! I don't even know you, and I say that with confidence.
Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and chickpeas instead of shredded chicken!
Paleo: Skip the mashed potatoes and serve with cauliflower mash, sweet potatoes, or roasted kabocha squash. (The butter is your choice - but olive oil is fine too!)
Chicken with Dried Figs & Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion peeled and sliced into wedges
- 8-10 dried figs any type; about 1 cup chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 cups chicken cooked, shredded
- 4 cups leafy greens kale, spinach, swiss chard, etc. or 16 ounces frozen spinach, slightly thawed
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Mashed Potatoes:
- 1 pound potatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup milk or cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large sauté pan or skillet over low-medium heat. Add the onions and slowly cook over low heat for 20 minutes, until a bit caramelized.
- Add the figs and mix well, then add the 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Check the figs, if they’re not soft yet, reduce the heat and add ¼ water and cook a little longer. (Repeat as necessary until onions are caramelized and figs are soft.)
- Add the shredded chicken to the pan and stir to coat. Let cook about 3 minutes to absorb some of the flavors. Taste and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper if necessary. Mix in the chopped leafy greens until wilted, then remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, wash and chop the potatoes. Peel the garlic and crush it with the side of a large knife. Add potatoes and garlic to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook about 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are very soft.
- Drain potatoes. Melt butter in pot and return potatoes to the pot. Mash well with a potato masher or fork (or whip using a hand mixer or stand mixer). Season with milk or cream, salt, and pepper.
Nutrition
Thank you! This was so delicious! I was looking for a recipe for my shredded rotisserie chicken from sprouts and this popped up on my search and sounded so good… and it was! I love figs and was not sure how to incorporate into a savory dish- until now. The aroma of the onion and fig simmering tempted our pallets before eating. The chicken was so moist in the beautiful sauce…. Coated just right. I used spinach and since I have to avoid potatoes I had a purple sweet potato while my husband had the mashed potatoes. Thank you for a delicious and healthy meal! This will be a go to recipe for many years to come.
Gina I'm so so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing! :) Purple sweet potatoes are also amazing and I bet it was beautiful together! (We also serve it with quinoa sometimes!)