This chicken cherry flatbread is topped with creamy goat cheese, caramelized onions and arugula for a delicious appetizer or even main meal.
This flatbread was the recipe that just didn’t want to be made. After spending almost 4 years now with a food blogger, you think Ulysses would’ve learned that when “special” ingredients appear in the fridge or pantry, they’re off limits until asking if I need them for something. Store bought flatbread would be one such ingredient.
But it doesn’t stop there. While arugula and dried tart cherries are typical staples in our house, both ingredients (even after telling him my plans for this flatbread multiple times) happened to disappear one right after the other.
So for a recipe as simple as this one is, it somehow required 4 separate trips to the grocery store. Single living would be so much easier sometimes (until I come home with new bathroom light fixtures I want installed like I might’ve done a few weeks ago I suppose).
The amount of times we default to pizza for dinner is kind of embarrassing. Pizza just seems like a cop out and usually means way more bread than I want to consume but I do it anyway out of sheer laziness. Flatbread, however, that’s got this air of “gourmet” that pizza could just never pull off. The best part about flatbread though is that it’s even easier than pizza. Store bought bread is totally acceptable, toppings don’t have to include sauce or cheese and it really just needs to toast, not bake. Boom.
The flavor combinations on top of a simple piece of bread here are pretty killer if I do say so. You’ve got savory chicken with sweet caramelized onions, tangy goat cheese, tart but still sweet dried cherries and then a drizzle of balsamic reduction for a sticky, sweet topping with some bright, peppery arugula to balance it all out.
My mom ended up coming over to go shopping with me (for those bathroom light fixtures) the day after (finally) making this and finished off the last half of flatbread.
Her words after the first bite were “the cherries are the best part” to which I of course took the opportunity to tell her they weren’t only delicious but good for you too being packed with vitamin A and a natural source of melatonin to help you sleep well – something she definitely needs because the woman never sleeps!
Love this flatbread? You might also like this goat cheese tomato sausage tart or this naan bread pizza recipe too.
Chicken Cherry Flatbread
Ingredients
- 2 store bought flatbreads
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast or thigh, leftover rotisserie chicken is great for this
- 1/3 cup dried tart cherries
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/3 cup baby arugula
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Place the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the onion slices and let caramelize for the next 30 minutes, stirring only a few times until the onions are golden brown.
- Meanwhile, place the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pot over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to medium-low and continue cooking until the vinegar has reduced into a thick syrup that coats the back of a spoon. Turn off heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the flatbreads on a baking sheet. Spread the shredded chicken evenly among the two pieces, then do the same with the onions. Crumble the goat cheese on top, then the cherries and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the bread gets crispy on the edges and the cheese starts to melt.
- Remove the flatbread from the oven, top with the baby arugula and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Cut into pieces and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
*This post is sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute. All opinions and content are my own.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I hide ingredients that I want to use for a blog post, sometimes it works…..sometimes not.
I don’t know how many times I have tried to make my stout glazed lamb only to find that the Guinness I bought has been drunk. it is impossible to hide stout in our house!!!
These flatbreads look beautiful and sound oh so tasty. I will be pinning this :-)
I was sold at leftover rotisserie chicken…and cherries….and goat cheese…and store bought flat breads…made this last night and we will be making it again! Thanks for adding some great flavor combinations to our Wednesday night!
Seriously gorgeous Gina! I love all the different flavors and the cherries.. yes please! Pinned!
Yum! Chicken and cherries are an amazing combination – so good together! This looks delish!
I love the idea of chicken and cherry on a flatbread. What a great combination!
Oh I feel your pain. I now put DO NOT EAT post its on food. Still things disappear! Love flatbreads, and Arugula and Cherries are such a great combo!
Lol I’m glad these things don’t just happen in my house, the special ingredients going missing at inconvenient times! These look delicious, loving the addition of the cherries :)