Chicken in Plum Sauce

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, marinated in a simple marinade. The plum sauce is sort of a sweet-and-sour sauce with ripe red and black plums in season. But, at other times I use prunes and goji berries instead.

Serve with mograbiah tossed with pan-seared carrots and kale.

Ingredients
2 smallish boneless skinless chicken breast
marinade: orange juice, red wine vinegar, ginger powder (or fresh grated), chili powder

for the plum sauce:
4-6 medium prunes pitted, soaked OR Plums, pitted and sliced
1 Tbsp goji berries (optional)
1 Tbsp orange marmalade OR Jalapeño jelly
¼ cup applesauce or pear sauce (if using fresh plums, else can be omitted)
2 Tbsp plain distilled vinegar OR 1 tsp Tamarind paste (for sourness, adjust to taste)
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger, or 1 Tbsp dry ginger powder
3-4 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 medium shallots diced very finely
1 Jalapeño or Serrano chili, diced finely
salt to taste
1 tsp canola oil



Preparation

1. Sauce: sauté the shallots, chilies, and garlic in a sauce pan, combine the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer till plums are cooked; mush up the plums and thicken the sauce to desired consistency; dice some of the plums for added texture and presentation. If using prunes, soak in warm water for about 10 minutes, drain and combine with the rest of the ingredients and grind to a fine paste
2. Chicken: Meanwhile, in a skillet, sear the marinated chicken breasts and cook them to desired doneness; I usually slice them thin or pound them to flatten the breasts for marinating; uniform thickness ensures uniform cooking
3. Serve: If desired, remove some of the plum slices from the simmering sauce before mushing them up, to serve on the side. Serve with veggies and rice or couscous or freekeh or mograbiah as done here