Cherry Ancho Chicken
with Pistachio Rice & Roasted Asparagus
- Milk
- Tree Nuts
Chicken paired with a fruit-based sauce is a classic combo. Our chefs decided to take things a step further by adding ancho chili powder to the mix, creating a smoky, sultry mystique to cherry jam and dried tart cherries to pour over succulent, seared chicken cutlets. The excitement continues with the sides: fragrant, pistachio-studded rice and tender roasted asparagus. This is just the sort of dish we want to make when we’re feeling a little fancy.
Ingredients
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
6 ounce
Asparagus
2 unit
Scallions
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
1 unit
Cherry Jam
1 unit
Chicken Demi-Glace
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Ancho Chili Powder
1 ounce
Dried Cherries
1 ounce
Pistachios
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoon
Olive Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. • Melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, 1 minute. • Stir in rice and ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4). Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat (you'll finish the rice in Step 5).
• While rice cooks, trim and discard bottom 1 inch from asparagus. Toss on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. • Roast on top rack until tender and lightly browned, 10-12 minutes.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season all over with salt and pepper. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat.
• While chicken cooks, in a small bowl, combine jam, demi-glace, chili powder, and ¼ cup water. • Return pan with chicken to low heat; add jam mixture and dried cherries. Simmer, turning chicken to evenly coat, until sauce has thickened, 3-5 minutes. • Transfer chicken to a cutting board, leaving sauce in pan. TIP: If sauce is too thick, add a splash or two of water.
• Heat pan with sauce over low heat and stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and set aside. • Fluff rice with a fork; stir in pistachios. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice chicken crosswise. • Divide rice and asparagus between plates and garnish with scallion greens. Serve chicken alongside; drizzle with sauce.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the unique cherry-ancho sauce, praising its sweet and smoky blend. Some found it too sweet or savory; adjust to taste.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to prepare, though a few found the sauce tricky to thicken or the instructions unclear in parts.
- Suggestions: Consider soaking dried cherries before adding to sauce for better texture. Grilling the chicken was a delicious alternative for some.
- Portions: Several wished for more asparagus; consider adding extra veggies to round out the meal.
- Pistachio rice: A standout side dish! Many raved about this unexpected combo; some suggested it could use more flavor.
Reviews from our home cooks
Loved the cherry glaze on the chicken, and the pistachio rice was very different and surprisingly tasty! Loved the combination of flavors and textures.
I have never eaten asparagus before but the way it was prepared in this meal added a new veggie to my palate. The cherry ancho chicken was delicious and served 3 adults in single serving.
This dish was delicious! Loved the cherry sauce/glaze that was poured over chicken. Rice and asparagus portions were small. However, asparagus was tender and not tough.
Love the pistachio rice. Always add extra if we have pistachios on hand. Ancho sauce is a perfect blend of sweet and Smokey.
The scallion whites and pistachios seem to overwhelm the rice with conflicting flavor and did not go well with the cherry/chili powder sauce. Maybe just almonds in the rice?? Too much competition among the flavors. The representative photo of the recipe was a bit misleading as to the amount of asparagus. Tiny spears were included which shriveled even more upon roasting.
Loved everything about this meal, the asparagus, the cherry sauce and the scallions and nuts in the rice. Excellent meal.
We love this, but for some reason, it didn't taste quite as good as the last time we ate it. I'm thinking the instructions might have been a little different. My favorite part of this meal was the pistachio rice. I would have never put these two together, but it was delicious.
Flavor was 10/10! What kept this from getting a four star rating were the portion sizes. The amount of rice & asparagus included was almost comically small. Had to cook extra rice & veggies I had on hand.
One of our favorites. I order this when I can. This time the asparagus was extremely thin. It might be a good idea to give a tip about what to do in such cases. I turned the heat up a little and roasted it a shorter amount of time while watching them carefully. They turned out fine.
Super delicious. The only thing that needs to be done differently is that the dried cherries should be soaked in hot water before adding to the sauce. They were quite sticky and a bit hard. Flavor was delicious.
