Chicken and Figs in Wine Sauce

Firstly, my thanks to the author "AUSSIEBEAR" for this shared recipe. I cooked this dish as a featured item for our 2013 Christmas Day Luncheon event for four (4) family members and it was well received and commented upon most favourably. However, I took the liberty ( and precaution) of starting this dish the evening before by macerating (pre-soaking) the dried figs in the measured white wine ( a clean skin Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc blend) with the same amount of cold water and storing in the fridge overnight. This step in the recipe process permits the figs to fully rehydrate and release the complex flavours within this delicious and often neglected dried fruit variety. Drain all the juices from the figs and reserve them for the reduction sauce when finishing the dish. The complex fruit sugars will be accentuated by the dry white wine (the great balance of sweet and sour) and intensified by simmering down before adding the cream at the last stage before plating. Proceed with this recipe with confidence as it is a very simple dish to prepare, produce and present at table for shared enjoyment.  -  27 Dec 2013

I had never cooked with figs before last week, and this was one of my first attempts. This is a good recipe, but it needs to be developed further. The sauce doesn't have much of a taste, and I would prefer the chicken to have more of a crust. Thanks for a great starting point, though!  -  01 Nov 2007  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

I tried this because I thought a port wine sauce on chicken sounded good, but no one in my house liked this one. The sauce was nearly flavorless and the chicken didn't fully cook in 15 minutes. Next time I want port wine sauce I will make it from the beef tenderloin with roasted shallots recipe even though it takes more effort.  -  01 Feb 2011  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)