Mojito Chicken

Ingredients:
2 tblsp olive oil
1 small onion (minced)
4 cloves garlic ( minced)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts (cut up into bite size pieces)
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup rum
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt and pepper

In a glass bowl, toss chicken breast pieces with 1/4 cup of lime juice, salt and pepper.  Let marinade for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sugar and cook for approximately 3 minutes, until oniond are soft, stirring constantly. Add chicken and saute up to 5 minutes until golden brown on all sides.

Add the rest of the lime juice and carefully, off the heat, add the rum. Return to the heat and add lime zest and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.  Serve chicken, garnished with mint, over rice with roasted asparagus on the side.

Cuban Chicken with Chorizo and Rice

Don't let the long ingredients list scare you. Remember, you are making an entire meal in one dish.  The dish will be prepared in stages which makes it more manageable, marinading the chicken first, then preparing the rice. I tried it with andouille sausage for some interest and WOW! It was great. The andouille sausage gave the rice a nice bite. Do not use Mexican chorizo. The spices will overpower and not mix well with the other seasonings.  We had leftovers, and this was even better the next day. 

Ingredients for the chicken:

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (or key lime juice)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

3 tblsp olive oil

1 tsp thyme

2 tblsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp allspice

Salt and pepper

4lbs chicken pieces

Combine all the ingredients above except for the chicken. Whisk until thoroughly mixed. place chicken pieces in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade. Seal the bag and rub marinade around chicken. Place in refrigerator and allow to marinade for at least 4 hours turning bag occasionally.

Ingredients for rice:
1/4 lbs fully cooked Spanish chorizo or Portuguese linguica (chopped) (for spicier version, try andouille sausage)
2 cups onions (minced)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
5 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 cups arborio rice or short grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 medium tomato (chopped)
1 1/2 tblsp paprika
4-5 saffron threads
1 whole pimiento or roasted red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
1 tblsp olive oil
Lime wedges

Take chicken out of bag and save the marinade.  In a large deep frying pan heat 1 tblsp of olive oil. Gently fry the linguica/chorizo/sausage until lightly brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.  Fry chicken pieces skin side down about 2-3 pieces at a time.  Do not crowd. Brown each side approximately 4 minutes. Remove from pan and continue to cook the rest of the chicken pieces.  Transfer chicken pieces to a plate.  Pour off about half of the oil from the pan, leaving the othe half and return to the stove top.  Add onions and bell peppers.  Saute for approximately 4 minutes scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the browned pieces.  Add garlic and paprika, continue to stir for another 2 minutes.  Add the rice and continue to saute for another minute.  Add the chicken broth and tomatoes with their juice, saffron thread and the reserved marinade. Continue stirring and bring to a boil. Return the chorizo and stir, press the chicken pieces lightly into the rice mixture.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 20 minutes checking frequently to ensure bottom does not burn.  Add more broth or water (about 1/4 cup) if rice appears dry and stir to mix the liquid. Season with salt and pepper, stir and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Serve rice and chicken in a bowl with sliced limes.

Spicy Creole Chicken Braised in Tangelo-Olive Sauce

Another really good chicken and citrus pairing! The Creole seasoning gives it a nice heat but does not overwhelm you.  Try it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  Tangelo is a hybrid of Mandarin oranges and grapefruit.  If you are not able to find it, use tangerines or clementines.

1 cup fresh tangelo juice (approx. 2-3 tangelos)

1/4 cup lime juice

4 tsp of Creole or Canjun seasoning (divided exactly into 2)

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 lbs of cut up chicken (remove skin)

3 tblsp olive oil

1 red bellpepper (cut into strips)

1/2 cup pimiento stuffed olives (roughly chopped)

2 tsp honey

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine tangelo juice, lime juice, 2 tsp of Creole/Cajun seasoning and cumin.  Whisk until blended.  In another bowl, combine flour and 2 tsp of Creole/Cajun seasoning; mix well. Dip chicken pieces in the citrus blend then into the four mixture, shaking off excess.  Save the marinade for the sauce. In a large nonstick pan/skillet add the olive oil and heat.  Cook chicken in batch approximately 8-10 minutes or until brown. Turn once and brown the other side.  Add oil if necessary.  When all chicken pieces are done, remove excess oil and add the red bell peppers; cook until crisp tender.  Stir in the remainder of the marinade, olives and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce  the heat to low and return the cooked chicken pieces back to the pan. Cover and allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove cover and allow the chicken to cook for another 5 minutes or until sauce has thicken and chicken  is no longer pink in the center. Since the olives provide some of the salt, taste first, add salt and pepper if needed.  Serve over rice.

Asian Citrus Marinated Chicken

Chicken and citrus is such a great pairing you can't go wrong.  I found tangerines, Valencia oranges or clementines are the best.  Again, fabulous over rice! 

Marinade:

4 cloves garlic (minced)

3 tblsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce

2 tsp dark sesame oil

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

Sauce:
2-3 small oranges, tangerines or clementines (sliced in large wedges)
2 shallots (minced)
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger (grated or pureed)
3/4 cups orange juice
2 tblsp lime juice
1/4 cup water
2 tsp water
2 tsp chili-garlic sauce*
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce*
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
3 tsp oil (canola or olive)

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade except for the chicken.  Pour in a resealable plastic bag; add chicken.  Seal the bag and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

In a medium sauce pan, combine, orange slices, shallots, sugar, ginger and 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium, allowing to cook for another 10 minutes until reduces to half.  Add orange juice, lime juice, chili-garlic sauce, fish sauce and rice vinegar. Simmer for another 5 minutes. In a small bowl disolve cornstarch with 2 tsp of water. Whisk into sauce; boil for 1 minute until sauce thickens. Keep warm.

In a frying pan/skillet or grill pan, add the oil and heat.  Cook the chicken 6-8 minutes turning once until chicken is no longer pink in center.  Remove from skillet and let it rest for 3-5 minutes. Slice chicken breast diagonally, place on a serving platter and pour warm sauce over the chicken slices.  Serve with your favorite long grain rice (i.e. Jasmine, basmati, etc.)


Note*:  chili-garlic sauce and fish sauce can be found in the Asian section of your favorite grocery store or go to any Asian grocery store or market.  Sea Salt can be used as a substitute for the fish sauce.

Cuban Style Pork Chops

This is absolutely incredible! The flavors feel like you are in the Carribean or at least Florida.  I served it with the Cilantro Lime Rice and what a combination.  Again, quick and easy.  You can grill it outside or in the broiler of your oven.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeeze if possible)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp dried oregano
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup olive oil
4 boneless pork chops or pork loin (aprox 6-8 oz each)
8 slices of swiss cheese
4 thick slices of cooked ham
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs of chopped cilantro

Set broiler to low in oven.  If grilling outside, heat grill on high then reduce to medium when hot.

Combine 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1tbs oregano, garlic, cumin and 1/4 cup olive oil; mix until marinade is well combined. Slice each pork chop or pork loin in half through the sides to create 4 additional chops; these need to be thin (if not, pound with a meat mallet).  In a large dish, add the pork and marinade; allow to marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

Remove pork from the marinade and place on a flat surface. Place a slice of cheese, then ham, then another slice of cheese; cover with another pork slice. Do the same with the others until you have created all four bundles. Season with salt and pepper. 

Place pork chops on the grill and cook until golden brown (approx. 3 to 4 minutes). Flip the pork chops and continue to cook until the flip side turns a golden brown and the cheese melts (approx. 2 to 3 minutes). Remove from the grill or oven.

Combine the remaining orange juice, lime juice, oregano, cilantro and olive oil; whisk until well combined. Spoon over pork chops and serve with cilantro lime rice, jasmine or basmati rice.