Due to last weeks berry picking adventure I had quite a bit of blackberries to use. The bambinos had eaten their fill and my jam cabinet had a sufficient supply of Blackberry Jam, & Blackberry Jelly so something different was in order. I think it's nice to have a sweet and savory version of the same fruit spread when possible. Strawberry Chipotle has been on top of the favorite list since I started making Jam so I thought I would try that pairing with the Blackberries. It came out quite nice. The Blackberries have a stronger darker flavor and the Chipotles in Adobo give the jam just the right amount of heat along with a nice smokey flavor. When I made this Jam I had every intention of trying it on chicken. The pairing just seemed to make sense to me.
Now being that we have a variety of taste buds in our home I knew the Chipotle wouldn't fly with everyone at the dinner table. Not wanting to make two separate dinners it occurred to me to use two separate Jams to glaze the main course. Our "please everyone" glaze has consistently been anything involving Apricot Jam so popped open a jar of that along with the Blackberry Chipotle.
So here is what I did. First I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Next I seasoned both sides of the chicken breasts with a little salt, pepper, season salt, a dash of garlic powder and some dry herbs then I placed them on a flat roasting rack sprayed with non-stick cooking spray that I put on a foil lined baking sheet and I let them bake for approximately 20 minutes.
While the chicken breasts were baking I warmed the Jams in two separate small pots on the stove. You can warm the jam in the microwave too if you like, just a few seconds will get it nice and warm. At about the 20 minute mark I pulled the chicken out and basted the top side, returning it to the oven for 5 minutes. I flipped the chicken breasts one more time, basting the bottom side. I turned the broiler on Hi and moved the rack with the chicken to it highest point in the oven to get a nice caramelization on the chicken.
During the second flip I also inserted and oven safe thermometer into one of the breasts. I have consistently ended up with the most moist chicken when I cook it to 165 degrees. This is the temperature at which my thermometer packaging says chicken is done and safe to eat. You do have to keep an eye on your chicken when it is placed that high in the over to prevent scorching. If you have a tendency to wander from your stove I would put it one level lower. It might take longer to get the Jam to caramelize but at least it wont burn. :) When the thermometer reading said 165 I removed my chicken from the over and let it rest for five minutes or so. They turned out delicious!
The Apricot and Herb Chicken was delightfully moist and had a nice sweet and salty flavor. The Blackberry Chipotle had a rich smokey flavor with a nice kick at the end. If there is a downside to the Blackberry Chipotle it would be the blackberry seeds but if you don't mind those you should give this one a try. There were full, happy bellies all around the dinner table that night. 
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