Chicken Breast with Kumquats

This was a great dish to make. Someone mentioned kumquats a while ago and how the didn’t know what to do with them. Kumquats look like tiny little oranges. They are quite tart if eaten raw but provide a great tangy citrus flavor if cooked correctly.  It reminded me of a chicken and kumquat dish I had at Spice Market in NYC. It was a very memorable and delicious meal- I am sure the yummy cocktails helped a lot.

I started thinking of that dish and decided to look it up online. After a lot of visualizing, I came up with this recipe. I first put the dressing together. I was able to get fresh lemongrass at whole foods. The kaffir lime leaves are available at the Asian stores. I bought a big pack and have them stored in the freezer. These two flavors are quite important to this dish.

I coated the chicken with a spice mix and marinated it for a few hours. All together, this dish has a few steps but it is very worth it.

Lemongrass Dressing

• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 to 3 lemongrass stalk, trimmed, smashed and chopped
• 2 to 3 Kaffir lime leaves, chopped
• 1 red chili, sliced in half

Add the lime juice, vinegar, honey, lemongrass, chili and Kaffir lime leaves into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cover with lid and lower the heat. Cook for about 20 minutes. Take the lid off and turn the heat off. Let it cool and take the strain. Save the lemongrass and lime leaves for the rice.

• 3 to 4 chicken breast skinless and boneless
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix the coriander, cumin and salt. Coat the chicken pieces with spice mix and let sit for 2 to 3 hours.

• ½ cup kumquats
• 2 medium shallots, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Sear the chicken pieces on both sides till golden brown- about a minute on each side. Take out and keep aside. Add the shallots and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lemongrass sauce and the chicken pieces. Bring to a boil and simmer with the lid covered till the chicken is done but not over cooked.
Slice the chicken and serve over coconut rice.