Fusion Chicken with Citrus Salsa

I don't really like the word fusion as applies to food, but "fusion chicken" was the name given to this recipe by someone at Better Home and Gardens. The recipe for this appears in a diet cookbook for BH&G and it's some of the best diet food going.

So so good. It's a bit sweet and a bit salty and very, very flavourful. My sister and brother-in-law wouldn't eat it with the citrus salsa, but the oranges add a bright, fresh taste to the sauce and I think they're lovely together.

Here's the recipe, which I reproduced in a comment a few days ago. When I made it tonight, my only change was to use a blood orange, a cara cara orange and a tangerine in place of the tangerines the recipe asks for. Oh, and I used apricot jam today, and reduced the amount of sugar. (There's a lot of sugar in Hoisin and in jam; I don't think it's necessary but haven't tried the sauce without it.)

Fusion Chicken. Serves four.

1/4 cup water
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp peach preserves (I've used everything from apricot jam to marmalade to passionfruit jam)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
4 med. tangerines or 2 lg oranges
3 tbsp cilantro, snipped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~1.5 lbs total)
1 tbsp oil

Combine water, hoisin, preserves, sugar and soy sauce in a small bowl. Add 1 tsp rind, finely grated from one of the tangerines. Set aside.

Peel and coarsely chop oranges, removing seeds. Toss oranges with cilantro. Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the chicken in oil over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Drain the fat. Pour hoisin mixture over chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink (170F).

Remove chicken from the skillet. Boil sauce gently, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until reduced to 1/3 cup. Return chicken to the skillet. Heat through, turning to coat with sauce.

Serve over hot rice with tangerine mixture.