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

Honey-Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

A quick and easy way to make Asian-style pork. It was not only devoured by Abe, but Jimi had 2 helpings.

I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and green peas.

Recipe (and picture) are from Cooking Light, which means that it's easy on the waistline (it's only 195 calories and 4 grams of fat per serving!).

Enjoy!


Honey-Hoisin Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4

2  tablespoons  sliced green onions
2  tablespoons  hoisin sauce
2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
2  tablespoons  sage honey
1  tablespoon  hot water
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/4  teaspoon  salt
Cooking spray
1/2  teaspoon  sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 cup honey mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag; reserve remaining honey mixture. Add pork to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle pork with salt. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 2 minutes, browning on all sides. Brush 1 tablespoon reserved honey mixture over pork; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place skillet in oven. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink) or until desired degree of doneness.

Place pork on a platter; let stand 5 minutes. Cut pork across the grain into thin slices. Drizzle with the remaining honey mixture.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

What a description, huh?  Nothing hard to figure out with this one.  It's chicken.  It has garlic.  Lots of it.  You can't deny that it sounds goooooood......

Abe loved it.  That's all I have to say.  It's easy to make too.  If you don't have a dutch oven, which I am thrilled to say I finally got mine from Ikea ($50!), you can brown the chicken in a pan and transport to a casserole dish to bake in the oven.  Of if you're using a pan that is oven-safe, you're good to go.

I didn't actually use 40 cloves... I took a tip from one of the reviewers and used 20 cloves that I cut in half.  I just didn't want to deal with all of the cleaning, but if you're brave enough to, go for it.

I used chicken thighs instead of the whole chicken. If you're using pieces like thighs or breasts, make sure you check doneness before the time is up, as pieces cook faster than the whole bird.

I served it with mushroom risotto and warm spinach salad.

I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Enjoy!

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 whole chicken
• 40 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the Dutch oven and brown on all sides in the butter and oil, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board.
3. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of liquid from the pan; stir the garlic cloves into the reserved liquid. Return the chicken to the pan; sprinkle the water, lemon juice, salt, thyme, and black pepper over the chicken; cover tightly.
4. Bake the chicken in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 90 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Tandoori

I got this from this month's Food Network magazine.  To quote Abe just now, it's "Yummm-mee!"  And at only 237 calories per serving, you can have an extra piece without guilt!

I couldn't find hot paprika at the grocery store, so I just used sweet paprika with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.   If you find hot paprika in the Detroit Metro area, let me know, ok?

I didn't debone the thighs, so if you don't have boneless, don't worry.  Make sure you check the doneness of the meat, though, since the bone will make it need a little bit more time.

I tried to take a picture of the meal, but my camera battery was dead (Aubri's cringing if she's reading this!).  So the pic is from FoodNetwork.com.

I served it with basmati rice and a green salad.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tandoori
Serves 4

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 3/4 teaspoons hot paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Preheat the broiler. Make shallow cuts in the chicken thighs with a sharp knife. Toss the chicken with the lemon juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl.

Pulse 2 tablespoons yogurt, the vegetable oil, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, 11/2 teaspoons paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor to make a paste. Toss the chicken in the mixture and let marinate 15 minutes.

Place the chicken on a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil, turning once, until slightly charred and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees F, 5 to 6 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon paprika, the cilantro and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Top the chicken with the yogurt sauce and serve with rice, if desired.