Tag: pomegranate juice

Pomegranate and Lime Chicken Thighs

OMG you have to make this chicken. It’s absolutely fabulous. What flavors! What colors! Can you tell I’m enthusiastic about this dish? Today marks #2 in a three week series celebrating the release of Meagan Micozzi’s, (aka blogger Scarletta Bakes) cookbook The New Southwest. Last week I made Mushroom and Leek Migas, which set the stage for a really exciting series. When it came time to choose my second recipe, this chicken caught my eye right away. I know how powerfully delicious pomegranate juice is when it’s reduced down to a glaze or a syrup, my Mini Lamb Koftas with Pomegranate Wine Sauce taught me that much. But I wasn’t prepared for the explosion of flavor in this chicken . Be sure to save it, it’s a winner.

The pomegranate flavor gets infused into this chicken in two ways. First the thighs marinate for a couple of hours in a shocking pink mix of yogurt and pomegranate juice. More pomegranate juice cooks down into an incredibly tangy rich glaze. Pomegranate seeds garnish the finished chicken as a visual cue to what’s in the dish. You can actually buy ready packed pomegranate seeds at stores these days, but I prefer to do it the old fashioned way, from the whole fruit.

The easiest way to do that is to cut open a pomegranate, pry it apart into quarters, and then fill a bowl or sink with water and pull the sections open underwater. The seeds sink to the bottom and the pith floats to the top. No mess.

I’m always impressed with a recipe that is easy to put together, and also gives me vivid, new flavors. From the flamboyant pink marinade, to the smokey grill marks on the thighs, to the blood red glaze punctuated by tart green lime, this chicken is a sensual feast.

My only frustration was that we didn’t have leftovers

I made a couple of minor changes to the recipe. I reduced the amount of pomegranate juice so that the dish could be made with one 16 oz bottle of Pom. Pomegranate juice is very expensive, and my adjustment didn’t seem to make a difference in flavor. And, since I don’t have a grill, I adjusted the recipe to char the meat on a stove top grill pan, and then finish cooking the chicken in the oven. It worked perfectly, the bone-in thighs stay moist and juicy and you don’t have to stand over the meat as it cooks.

Pomegranate and Lime Chicken Thighs

What You Will Need

for the chicken

1 cup Greek yogurt (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

for the glaze

2 cups pomegranate juice (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (I used the juice of 2 limes)
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Instructions

Set the oven to 400F
To marinate the chicken, put the yogurt, pomegranate juice, salt, garlic and chicken in a large zip lock baggie. Massage everything until well combined. Put in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. I turned the bag over once or twice.
To make the glaze, put all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and boil for about 20-25 minutes until reduced and thickened. Set aside.
Preheat a grill pan over medium high heat until screaming hot. Take the chicken out of the marinade, and let the excess liquid drip off before setting the chicken, skin side down, on the grill. Don’t move it for a minute or so until it gets nice dark grill marks.
Flip the chicken over, and then transfer to a baking pan that has been lightly brushed with olive oil. Bake the chicken for about 30-40 minutes, or until done through. Spoon a generous amount of glaze over the chicken, and garnish with the pomegranate seeds and lime wedges. Serve right away.

Notes

Recipe slightly adapted from The New Southwest

2.2

http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/10/pomegranate-and-lime-chicken-thighs-thenewsouthwest.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.

Check back next Thursday for a final recipe and a giveaway!

The New Southwest: Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef.

Pomegranate and Lime Chicken Thighs {#thenewsouthwest}

My only frustration was that we didn’t have leftovers

Pomegranate and Lime Chicken Thighs

What You Will Need

for the chicken

1 cup Greek yogurt (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

for the glaze

2 cups pomegranate juice (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (I used the juice of 2 limes)
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Instructions

Set the oven to 400F
To marinate the chicken, put the yogurt, pomegranate juice, salt, garlic and chicken in a large zip lock baggie. Massage everything until well combined. Put in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. I turned the bag over once or twice.
To make the glaze, put all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and boil for about 20-25 minutes until reduced and thickened. Set aside.
Preheat a grill pan over medium high heat until screaming hot. Take the chicken out of the marinade, and let the excess liquid drip off before setting the chicken, skin side down, on the grill. Don’t move it for a minute or so until it gets nice dark grill marks.
Flip the chicken over, and then transfer to a baking pan that has been lightly brushed with olive oil. Bake the chicken for about 30-40 minutes, or until done through. Spoon a generous amount of glaze over the chicken, and garnish with the pomegranate seeds and lime wedges. Serve right away.

Notes

Recipe slightly adapted from The New Southwest

2.2

http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/10/pomegranate-and-lime-chicken-thighs-thenewsouthwest.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.

Check back next Thursday for a final recipe and a giveaway!

The New Southwest: Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef.

Homemade Fresh Grapefruit or Pomegranate ‘Jello’

This was a real eye opener for me. I’m not a jello eater. My mom’s lime gelatin salads filled with shredded cabbage knocked that right out of me at an early age. Her wobbly tomato aspic studded with green olives clinched the deal in case I had any lingering doubt. No one could be more surprised than me to find out that you can make homemade gelatin with fresh fruit that tastes incredible. I made pomegranate and pink grapefruit, but you can really use almost any fruit juice you want, fresh or not. (Fresh pineapple won’t work though, it contains an enzyme that breaks down the gelatin.)

You can make it in little individual sized jars or dishes, or pour it all in a flat pan and cut it into cubes after it’s set. The more powdered gelatin you use, the firmer it will set up. The color will be softer and slightly cloudier than commercial Jello, unless you are using a perfectly clear juice.

This is refreshing and healthy—the recipes I developed have minimal sugar—there’s no need for it because the fruit, even the pink grapefruit, is already sweet. The pink grapefruit gelatin tasted just like fresh grapefruit, only in a different form. Without excess sugar, color and flavorings, you really get a very bright real fruit taste. Great for kids, great for dieters, but really good enough to make for no other reason than because it tastes great.

I’ve have a secret yen to make one of those beautiful layered jello desserts, but with real fruit gelatin. I can just imagine how beautiful it would be with the natural colors.

I used two slightly different methods for each version here, and both worked, so I don’t think there’s a precise science to this. You will use 1 to 2 packets of unflavored gelatin for about 1 1/2 cups of fruit juice. A little sugar and water, and a squeeze of lemon juice if you want extra tang. I made small quantities, double them if you like.

Homemade Grapefruit ‘Jello’ ~~~adapted from Martha Stewart
juice of 2 large grapefruits ( 1 1/2 cups)
2 packets unflavored gelatin (1/2 oz)
1 heaping Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup water

Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 cup of the grapefruit juice, m.ix and let sit to soften, about 5 minutes.
Heat the water and sugar together, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the water comes to a simmer.
Pour the hot liquid over the juice and gelatin, and add the remaining 1/2 cup juice.
Pour into individual serving cups or into one glass pan.
Refrigerate until completely firm, several hours.
When firm, you can cut the jello into cubes.
Keep refrigerated until ready to eat; the gelatin will eventually turn back to liquid at room temperature.

Homemade Pomegranate ‘Jello’

~~~adapted from WikiHow

1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice (I used Pom)

1/4 cup cold water

1 packet unflavored gelatin (1/4 oz)

1 Tbsp sugar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

Dissolve the gelatin in the water and set aside for 5 minutes.
Heat the juice and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves.
Pour the hot juice over the gelatin and mix well. Add the lemon juice if using. Taste and adjust the sugar if necessary.
Pour into individual serving dishes or into one large pan.
Refrigerate until firm, at least several hours.
Keep refrigerated until ready to eat; the gelatin will eventually turn back to a liquid at room temperature.

Notes: To slice the gelatin cleanly, dip a knife in very hot water before each cut. For those who don’t eat animal products, there are gelatin alternatives, here is a list from PETA.

I’m going to have to dig out my mom’s old jello mold.

(Did I just say that?)