Margarita-Braised Chicken Thighs

I was a bit hesitant to make this one because of the dried fruit.  I could see Abe and Jimi wrinkling their noses at me adding fruit to their chicken.  But I couldn't have been more wrong.  They loved it and ate what was supposed to be today's dinner and tomorrow's lunches.  Jimi kept commenting on how much he liked it.

I got the dried fruit right with the raisins.  It was a trio of mango, papaya and pineapple.  I worried that the sweetness would be a problem, but it wasn't at all.  The funny thing is the dish really smelt like a margarita (which really is torture to this pregnant lady) as it went into the oven.

If you're using thighs with bone, you will want to add about 10 minutes or so to the cooking time.  The dish could easily be made with chicken breasts, too.

I served it with rice and steamed asparagus.

I got the recipe (and picture) from Cooking Light.

Enjoy!

Margarita-Braised Chicken Thighs
 Serves 4


1/2  cup  flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1  tablespoon  paprika
2  teaspoons  garlic powder
8  skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1  tablespoon  olive oil
Cooking spray
1  cup  thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium)
5  garlic cloves, minced
1/2  cup  dried tropical fruit
1/2  cup  orange juice
1/4  cup  tequila
1  lime, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small baking dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt; dredge chicken in flour mixture.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add onion to skillet; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic to pan, and sauté 1 minute.

Combine fruit, juice, and tequila in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at high 2 minutes. Pour fruit mixture into pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute. Pour onion mixture over chicken; top with lime slices. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until chicken is done

350 Calories and 9 grams of fat per serving