Mayan Chicken
By: Anonymous
Published: Saturday, January 2, 2010 - 3:42am

Ingredients




4 chicken breast halves - (abt 10 oz ea) skinned
2 tablespoons salted red achiote paste
1 can crushed tomatoes - (14 1/2 oz)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green bell pepper - (8 oz) rinsed, stemmed,
seeded, and chopped
1 onion - (8 oz) peeled, chopped

Preparation

1 Rinse chicken and pat dry. Rub achiote paste all over chicken. In a bowl, mix tomatoes, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, thyme, salt, cumin, oregano, and pepper; add chicken and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours or up to 1 day. 2 Pour oil into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add bell pepper and onion and stir often until limp, about 10 minutes. 3 Add chicken and its marinade to pan and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is no longer pink at the bone (cut to test), about 10 minutes. With tongs, transfer chicken to a wide, shallow serving bowl; pour sauce over chicken. 4 This recipe yields 4 servings. 5 Comments: This chicken dish, which Beverly Smick serves with rice and beans, was inspired by one she enjoyed on a recent trip to Belize. The chicken gets its red color from a paste made of achiote seeds (from annatto trees), commonly sold in Latin American markets.