I’ve had an idea on my mind for a couple of weeks that included using the juice from a couple jars of Hot and Sweet Jalapeños that I’ve been saving. I love these jalapeños on homemade pizza and decided to hang onto the jars with the juice that was left after using the jalapeños on our pizzas in the last few weeks. It seemed a waste to me to throw the juice away once the peppers were gone, so I thought I would try to use it as part of a marinade for chicken breasts. Oh my goodness, this was a great idea! My husband, Dennis, loved this chicken! I will say it does have a kick to it. If you like a little spiciness to your dish, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

The Hot and Sweet Jalapeños are from Trader Joes. I really hope they don’t stop selling these, they’re so good on my pizzas and now I have another great excuse to use them as well.

I started with four large, boneless and skinless chicken breasts. I placed them in a large plastic storage bag and pounded them a bit so they were even and a little thinner (but not thin).

I removed the chicken from the bag and placed it into a large glass bowl for marinating. I poked slits into the breasts with a paring knife so the marinade would really seep in. I sprinkled the breasts on both sides with kosher salt and pepper. I then put my marinade together in a large measuring cup. I started with the leftover juice from the two jars of jalapeños (this amounted to 2 cups). To the juice, I added 6 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 diced jalapeños. I also added 1 cup of minced cilantro. I mixed everything together in the measuring cup and poured it over the chicken. I then covered the dish with plastic and let it marinade in my refrigerator for 3 hours.

For the sauce, I emptied a 13 ounce jar of mango preserves into a sauce pan. To that I added 1 diced jalapeño, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 6 ounce package of fresh blackberries and 1/4 cup of water. I combined everything and brought my sauce to a boil. Once it came to a slight boil, I reduced the heat on my cooktop to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

I started my chicken on a grill pan on the stove to brown it. I then placed it into a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking. I served the chicken with the sauce, white rice and blistered shishito peppers. It was absolutely delicious.

Ingredients – Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups of jalapeño juice from two jars of Hot and Sweet Jalapeños

kosher salt and pepper

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeños, diced

1 cup minced cilantro, plus more for garnish

Olive oil for pan

Ingredients – Sauce

13 ounce jar Mango Preserves

1 jalapeño, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 ounce package fresh blackberries

1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Pound chicken breasts so they are even thickness
2. Poke slits into chicken with a paring knife.
3. Sprinkle kosher salt and pepper over both sides of chicken.
4. In a large measuring cup, combine 2 cups of jalapeño juice, diced jalapeño, minced garlic, and cilantro. Pour over chicken, making sure to coat completely.
5. Cover and place in refrigerator to marinade for 3-8 hours.
6. Pull chicken out of fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature.
7. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
8. Coat grill pan with oil and heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 10-15 minutes total, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.
9. Place chicken in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

1. While chicken is cooking, combine preserves, jalapeño, garlic, blackberries and water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Spoon a little sauce onto plate before placing chicken on top. Then spoon a little more sauce on top of chicken. Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris