Cinco de Mayo: Chicken with Spicy Tomato Sauce

In the festive spirit on Wednesday I wanted to make something that reminded me of Mexico but wasn't your typical tacos or burritos. After searching my many recipe boxes online and at home I found an easy Mexican dinner, Chicken with Spicy Tomato Sauce found on Epicurious originally from Bon Appetit, December 1999. The recipe calls for 3 large cloves (for 6 servings) to be added to the blender along with the other sauce ingredients. Unfortunately I forgot the garlic so while the sauce was thickening I quickly tossed a heaping teaspoon of jarred minced garlic into the sauce and crossed my fingers. I also added some chopped zucchini to the sauce for the last three minutes for a serving of veggies then served it all over brown rice. I really enjoyed this dinner! The sauce was fantastic! It was sort of like a fine wine, you tasted different flavors at different intervals like an explosion in your mouth. You picked up on the citrus through a little zing in the sauce which was also attributed to the chili powder. Thinking about it now is making my mouth water.

Lauren's review: Another easy and delicious meal!
Matt's review: This is great!
Final decision: Into the recipe box!

Chicken with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1 14 1/2-ounce can Mexican-style or regular stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Puree first 9 ingredients in blender.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet; sauté until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add sauce from blender. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through, turning chicken over once, about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to work surface. Continue to simmer sauce until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes longer. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Cut chicken crosswise into thin slices. Return to sauce and heat through.