Crushed juniper berries add a distinctive flavor to this main dish.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 4 tps olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 Tbs juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

1. Lightly season chicken breasts with black pepper.
2. In large skillet heat half the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it is just turning gold.
3. Remove the onion and set aside.
4. Add the other half of the olive oil and heat. Lightly brown the chicken breasts on both sides over medium-high heat; remove chicken from pan and set aside.
5. Add the chicken broth, wine, juniper berries, cooked onion, and fresh thyme sprigs to the skillet. Bring mixture to a boil and let simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Return the chicken breasts to the pan and allow to cook for 6-7 minutes on each side.
7. Remove chicken from the pan, cover and set aside.
8. Bring liquid in the pan to a boil and slightly reduce (about 3-5 minutes).
9. Serve on a platter and top with the sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme or parsley.

Bella Italian Food Recommends:

Juniper Berries
Use these to flavor your marinades for meat and game dishes. Add with bay leaves and fennel seeds to stews for flavor. The berries are used throughout Europe to flavor pâtés and meat dishes.

Juniper berries are found on the evergreen juniper shrub, which grows widely throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They have been used for medicinal purposes since the 16th century. One of the most famous uses for juniper berries is as a flavoring for gin. New berries appear on mature trees in the fall, and by spring they ripen to blue. Because the berries take between two to three years to fully ripen, the same plant can have unripe green and ripe blue berries at the same time.