Margarita-Braised Chicken Thighs

The test kitchen raved over this juicy, fruity dish inspired by the popular cocktail.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 thighs and about 1/3 cup fruit mixture)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 1  tablespoon  paprika
• 2  teaspoons  garlic powder
• 8  skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium)
• 5  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2  cup  dried tropical fruit
• 1/2  cup  orange juice
• 1/4  cup  tequila
• 1  lime, thinly sliced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small baking dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt; dredge chicken in flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add onion to skillet; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic to pan, and sauté 1 minute.

Combine fruit, juice, and tequila in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at high 2 minutes. Pour fruit mixture into pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute. Pour onion mixture over chicken; top with lime slices. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

350 (25% from fat)

Fat:

9.9g (sat 2.2g,mono 4.3g,poly 2.1g)

Protein:

25.1g

Carbohydrate:

37.9g

Fiber:

2.7g

Cholesterol:

94mg

Iron:

2.7mg

Sodium:

416mg

Calcium:

55mg