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Chicken with Citrus Sauce

Here are two versions of this delicious sweet-and-sour dish, which is prepared at roadside stands and restaurants on many Caribbean islands: Pan-cook it in the winter, grill it in the summer. Serve it with Coconut Rice and Beans (page 516).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons drained capers for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and cooked through, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, about 10 minutes. Remove and place in your serving dish.

    Step 2

    Add the garlic and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and honey. Cook only until the honey has completely dissolved, about 30 seconds.

    Step 3

    Pour the onion-citrus mixture over the chicken, garnish with capers, and serve.

  2. Grilled Chicken with Citrus Sauce

    Step 4

    Grill about 3 pounds bone-in chicken—this can be thighs, wings, or a variety of parts—over a fairly low fire until crisp, browned, and cooked through (see page 289 for detailed grilling directions). Make the sauce separately, as in step 2, using 2 tablespoons olive oil. Serve the grilled chicken hot, warm, or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over it.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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