drink your dinner

I made this dinner a while back and photographed it, meaning to add it here. I forgot about the recipe until just the other day. Recently I've been enamoured with food blogs, especially fascinated by the apparent love of cupcakes in the internet world. I saw a recipe for Cuba Libre cupcakes, which happens to be my favorite simple mixed drink (I promise to make those cupcakes one day, if only to find out what Coke, rum, and lime taste like in cupcake form.) It made me wonder about Mojitos, my newest liquid obsession. So I searched for a Mojito chicken recipe. I didn't like some of the ingredients -- minced ginger is not found in a Mojito -- so I played with it a bit. This is what I ended up with.



pen loves paper's Mojito Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts
2 tblsp. flour
1 teasp. garlic powder
1 teasp. ground ginger
1/2 teasp. salt
1/2 teasp. black pepper

2 tblsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teasp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup white rum
3 tblsp. sugar
1/8 cup fresh mint leaves

Mix flour, garlic powder, ground ginger, salt, black pepper in shallow baking dish. Pat each chicken breast dry with a paper towel, then coat with the mixture. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on all sides until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to platter and keep warm.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes to skillet until fragrant. Stir in lime juice, rum, and sugar. Boil slightly until reduced, about 5 minutes. Add mint and stir, cooking for 1-2 minutes more. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve with orzo or rice.