Jalapeno Lime Chicken and Sea Salted Honey Caramel

Jalapeno Lime Chicken with Pomegranate relish and Spiced Yogurt sauce

(Adapted from We Are Not Martha and Confections of a Foodie Bride)

For the chicken:

4 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup orange juice

juice and zest of 2 limes

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced finely

1 jumbo clove of garlic (or whatever amount you desire)

olive oil

2 tbps melted butter

salt and pepper

Place chicken in a glass dish, placing chicken in the dish. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over chicken, flipping the chicken to make sure it is coated. Marinate for 2-5 hours. While the chicken marinates make the yogurt sauce and pomegranate relish.

Spiced yogurt sauce:

½ cup pepitas

1/8 cup sesame seeds

3 tsp sesame oil

3 tsp olive oil

cumin

cinnamon

nutmeg

coriander

juice of 1 lemon (add more or less as needed)

juice of lime (add more or less as needed)

½ cup greek yogurt

1 garlic clove

mint, chopped

In a food processor mix pepitas and sesame seeds until almost a meal, then add the oils. Add equal parts cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander (as much as you desire), lemon and lime juices and garlic clove. Mix and until well blended and a uniform texture. Finally add greek yogurt and blend until well incorporated. Mix in chopped mint leaves by hand. Set aside if using soon, otherwise refrigerate until you use it.

For the pomegranate relish:

1 cup pomegranate seeds

¼ cup pistachios

parsley, roughly chopped

mint leaves, roughly chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Once the relish and yogurt are made, grill chicken on high heat for about 10 minutes on each side.

Assembling the whole thing:

Place the chicken on plate and smear a few tablespoons of yogurt sauce over the chicken. Spoon relish over chicken and enjoy!

Sea Salted Honey Caramel

(from Live Love Pasta)

Ingredients:

Yield: Makes 2½ pounds of caramel (enough for 16 2-inch squares or 64 1-inch squares)
1 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup honey
2 1/3 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
PAM cooking spray, for baking dish & knife
Fleur de Sel, to taste

Cut parchment paper to line an 8x8x2 inch square baking dish. Allow enough paper to extend over all four sides. Lightly spray the parchment-lined dish with PAM cooking spray. Dab it with a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

TIP: Before adding honey and corn syrup to your measuring cup, spray cup very lightly with cooking spray. This makes removal easy.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, honey, sugar, salt, heavy cream, and butter.

Cook, stirring continuously (using heat resistant spatula), until the mixture reaches 250 degrees F (firm-ball stage). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour caramel into the prepared pan and sprinkle with Fleur de Sel. Set aside, uncovered, in a cool place to firm up. When firm, loosen the edges of the pan with an oiled knife. Turn out onto a clean work surface and, using a lightly oiled knife, cut into strips, then into squares. Wrap each square in parchment paper, twisting the ends. The caramels keep in an airtight container in a cool dry place for 2 weeks.

The chicken was delicious! I will definitely make it many more times! The caramels were very good too, but make sure that you put enough sea salt on them. I found that without the sea salt they were a little plain jane, so don't be afraid when using the salt!