Recipe: Plum Chicken

In a recent article for BIAO Magazine, I was asked to put together a healthy cocktail party spread.  I decided to make the centerpiece of the spread a chicken dish that would focus on that elusive combination of light and tasty.  I tried several different recipes before finding the one that worked best with party concept.  You will have to find a copy of the magazine to see which chicken made it, but here’s one I liked that did not quite fit the theme.

• 4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 tablespoons of salt plus one more pinch
• 1 tablespoon of pepper
• 2 tablespoons of mustard powder 
• 5 plums (I used 2 black, 3 red, but you can use all of one type), diced in quarter inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 serrano chili, sliced
• 1/2 cup of apple cider (apple or grape juice would also work)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

1. Trim the fat from the chicken and cut into cubes no more than one inch by one inch.  The size of the chicken is not as important as keeping the cubes roughly equal so that the chicken cooks evenly.
2. Make a spice rub by mixing the Mix the salt, pepper, and mustard in a bowl.
3. Coat the chicken with the spice rub and set aside for 15 minutes.
4. Add the plums, pinch of salt, ginger, garlic, and serrano to a skillet over medium heat.  Cook for about three minutes.
5. Add the cider and put the heat on medium low.
6. The sauce is ready when the cider is reduced by half.  It should still be a little runny as it will be cooked again with the chicken.
7. Heat a second skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.   When the chicken is almost cooked, ladel in the plum sauce and continue to cook until the chicken is finished.  (You may need to do two batches.)

Serve over rice with a side of soy sauce.