Tangerine Achiote Chicken with Arugula Walnut Salad

LOTS of tangerines everywhere nowadays--get them if they are organic or if those are not available get the ones grown in California.  I've made this recipe several times but this is the first time I went all the way to the end of the recipe and did the sauce.  Typically, I just do the marinade part and then grill the chicken.  It was outstanding with the sauce and I tweaked it just a bit with a squeeze of lemon juice.  The whole family made the "mad face" when they had their first bite.  The "mad face" is the face you make when something you taste is so good you're angry because you wonder why this is the first time you are getting to taste something like it.  Sometimes you utter an "uh!" or an "oh!"

This is from the Epicurious website

Achiote Chicken with Tangerine Sauce

2 tablespoons achiote paste (I have  this one from Mi Pueblo in San Rafael)
1 tablespoon honey (you can omit this if avoiding sugar--I used a tsp.)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated tangerine peel (or orange peel)
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (use ground if you don't have whole seeds)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves--I used 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless thighs (organic--Mary's air chilled)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh tangerine or orange juice, divided (it took about 8 tangerines and I squeezed 1 lemon in the mix too)
Chopped fresh organic cilantro

Blend first 7 ingredients in processor to form paste. Place chicken in 8-inch square baking dish. Spread marinade over, turning to coat. Cover; refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt. Add chicken to skillet; cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add 1/2 cup tangerine juice to skillet. Cover; reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning once, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plates. Add remaining 1/2 cup juice to skillet; boil until thickened, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro.

 Arugula Walnut Salad


wild arugula (about 1 cup per person--Star Route had some this week)
2 TBSP. walnut oil (I used La Tourangelle)
1 TBSP. champagne vinegar
1 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup walnuts
coarse sea salt

Combine all ingredients and toss.  I like this one with minimal vinegar as the arugula has a fair amount of bite in it already.