Sunday, January 8, 2012

Sweet and Sour Apricot Chicken Skewers

Adapted from Sunset Magazine

Ingredients
* 1 cup apricot jam
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/4+ (to taste) teaspoon cayenne
* 2 lemons (5 oz. each)
* 1 pound boned, skinned chicken breast halves
* About 1/2 cup dried apricots
* Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat jam in a microwave oven at full power (100%) until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce, basil, and cayenne.
2. Rinse chicken and pat dry; cut into 1-inch pieces.
3. Add chicken and apricots to the marinade and stir; refrigerate and soak as long as possible.
4. Rinse lemons and cut crosswise into (very thin!) 1/8-inch-thick slices. Discard ends and any seeds.
5. Thread 2 pieces of chicken onto an 8- to 10-inch-long skewer. Fold 1 lemon slice around 1 dried apricot and thread onto skewer through both sides of lemon slice. Repeat to fill 4 skewers equally. Set skewers on a rack in a foil-lined 10- by 13-inch broiler pan. Brush remaining marinade generously all over chicken and fruit.
6. Broil about 4 inches from heat, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in the center (cut to test), 8 to 9 minutes total. If desired, set pan over high heat, add any remaining jam mixture, and stir, scraping up browned bits, until boiling; pour into a small bowl and serve with meat. Add salt and pepper to taste.