This delicious one-pot meal, roasted Chicken with Honey Bacon Pears, is delicious served on rice, polenta, or a bed of arugula.

• 4 whole chicken breasts, cut in half (4 pounds)
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• Olive oil
• 8 strips bacon, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup white wine
• 4 T. fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 Barlett pears, cut in chunks (leave skin on)

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, cutting the breasts in half. Salt and pepper each piece.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over medium heat, adding the chopped onions and bacon and sautéing for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the wine and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Remove the onions and bacon from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and fry the chicken breast on each side for 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
• In a separate bowl, toss the pears, honey, 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped thyme, and salt and pepper.
• Drizzle the mixture with olive oil.
• Mix and set aside.
• Place the onion mixture on the bottom of a roasting pan, with chicken breasts on top.
• Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme, and place the pan in the hot oven.
• Roast the chicken for 20 minutes.
• The last 10 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and pour the pear mixture with the juices over the top.
• Bake another 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and serve right away on a bed of polenta, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, or arugula.
• Garnish with fresh thyme.

• we substituted honey for maple syrup... and it was awesome!
• we also substituted chicken stock for the white wine.