Okay, okay. So a "week" is really seven days long. Judging by my math, my pumpkin week event may end up being more of a two week affair. Forgive me, please. Somehow time is quickly slipping away this fall season, and this is the first quiet moment I've had to sit down to write to you about this dish.
With this recipe, I really wanted to play with flavors. I wanted the chicken to be flavorful and tender and the sauce both sweet and spicy. And then, to really take things over the top, I added some diced sauteed Virginia ham to top it all off.
I began by marinating the chicken in a lime-yogurt sauce accented by a few spices. Marinating chicken in yogurt actually helps to tenderize the meat. According to an article on Fine Cooking magazine online, "It's not quite clear how the tenderizing occurs, but it seems that calcium in dairy products activates enzymes in meat that break down proteins, a process similar to the way that aging tenderizes meat."
Eight hours later, I moved the chicken to the oven to bake. While the chicken baked in the oven, I worked on creating the spicy pumpkin sauce topping.
The resulting chicken met all objectives: tender chicken, spicy and sweet sauce, and a nice depth of flavor. Oh, and I used up some more of that fresh pumpkin puree.
Roasted Chicken with Spicy Pumpkin Sauce
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 cup of plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- zest of one lime
- juice of one lime
- 1 TB Chili powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 Cup of fresh pumpkin puree
- 1 Cup of chicken stock
- 1 TB Chili powder
- 2 dashes of hot sauce
- 2 TB brown sugar
- 1 tsp of fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup of diced Virginia ham, sauteed
Assemble the Marinade
At least eight hours prior to cooking (or overnight), whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a glass baking dish. Once combined, add the chicken breasts and cover thoroughly with the marinade. Cover the dish and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 8 hours.
When you are ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 375F. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Remove the plastic from the glass baking dish. When the oven is preheated, place the chicken inside and bake for 30-35 minutes (turning once during the bake time).
Making the Sauce
In a saucepan, combine the pumpkin puree, the chicken stock, chili powder, hot sauce and brown sugar. Cook until thoroughly heated through. Add more chicken stock or water if the consistency is too thick.
* Note: if you'd like a smoother consistency, you can blend the ingredients prior to heating them in the saucepan.
Putting it all Together
Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
Once ready, assemble the dish by placing one chicken breast on each plate. Scoop a few spoonfuls of the pumpkin sauce on top of each chicken breast, then crumble the fresh thyme on top. Top off with the sauteed ham cubes.
Enjoy, and then check back here for a great northern Michigan pumpkin pie recipe. Hopefully, I won't leave you in suspense for too long!
