This is a lovely, quick, juicy and fruity meal that we all enjoyed. The chicken has such a nice flavor and easily cooks to perfection.
The seasonings, while simple, give the chicken an appetizing color and help elevate this meal to a fabulous weeknight or weekend meal.
I know a handful of you will ask me if you can substitute chicken breasts for the thighs, and you can, however, you will not experience the same tender, juicy, flavorful meal we have here. Chicken breasts just don’t share the same yummy qualities thighs do. But again, that’s up to you.
Overall, you will love this. It’s awesome.
Preheat oven to 400o F. Combine flour, paprika and garlic powder in a plastic bag. Season chicken well with salt. Place one piece of chicken at a time in the flour mixture, shaking the bag until coated.
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken thighs to the pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining chicken and Tablespoon of oil. Transfer chicken to an 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Combine fruit, juice and tequila in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Pour fruit-juice mixture into pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute more.
Pour onion mixture over chicken. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Season again with salt to taste.
Enjoy this dish, the texture and flavor is wonderful!
Margarita-Braised Chicken Thighs
1/2 cup flour
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1-1/2 pounds)
Salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking Spray
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dried tropical fruit, chopped (I used a mixture of pineapple, mango & golden raisins (leave the raisins whole))
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup tequila
Preheat oven to 400o F. Combine flour, paprika and garlic powder in a plastic bag. Season chicken well with salt. Place one piece of chicken at a time in the flour mixture, shaking the bag until coated.
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken thighs to the pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining chicken and Tablespoon of oil. Transfer chicken to an 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Combine dried fruit, juice and tequila in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 2 minutes (this is going to help soften the dried fruit). Pour fruit-juice mixture into the pan with the onions; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute more. Pour onion-dried fruit mixture over chicken. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Season again with salt to taste.
I served this with rice that I flavored. It’s just cooked Jasmine rice that I add butter, cilantro, green onion and lime juice to once it’s finished cooking. It’s the perfect side for this meal and looks good for presentation.
