I rolled into the house a 6pm tonight after being away on a most delicious food experience at Travaasa Spa in Austin (more about that next week). Even though the kids are learning to hold their own in the kitchen and can make a few meals (mac & cheese, quesadillas, frozen pizzas) when I’m away, I did promise to make it back in time to get a more “mom-approved” meal (read, one with fruits and vegetables) on the table. Since I hadn’t been to the store in a while, there was no telling what would be left in my fridge after the four “bachelors” were left to fend for themselves.

This is where creativity in the kitchen comes in; no need to head to a drive thru when you can slice up the fruits and veggies found your fridge, whip up a quick sauce and serve with a lean grilled protein. Tonight I found a couple margarita-leftover limes and unloved oranges in the produce bin, along with some starting-to-wrinkle grape tomatoes that needed to be used ASAP.  Knew I had some chicken breast in the freezer, and that’s about it. Came up with this fresh and vibrant dish inspired by the Mojo Beef Kebobs I’ve made time and time again – the garlic citrus sauce pairs insanely well with beef, but also works wonders with chicken, pork and fish! Since I was too tired to chunk up the meat and fire up the patio grill, I just threw these pounded chicken breasts in an indoor grill pan. I even skipped the marinating step that I am recommending if you have time.  The family gobbled this healthy dinner recipe up and loved the fact that I added oranges to the mix (made the onions more tolerable said one son).

This recipe works equally well in an indoor grill pan as on the outdoor grill.

Mojo Chicken Breast with Grilled Citrus Recipe

• 2 large chicken breasts (approx. 1 lb)
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 large lime, cut into wedges
• 2 small oranges, slices crosswise
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• 1 (10 ounce) container cherry tomatoes

For Sauce:

• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Whisk together sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Butterfly chicken breasts and pound down to even 1/3” thickness.
3. Pour half of the Mojo sauce as a marinade over the chicken in a medium bowl or food storage bag; cover or seal.
4. Cover the remaining sauce; refrigerate both at least 2 hours.
5. Heat outdoor grill to 400 F degrees or indoor grill pan to medium-high.
6. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Season chicken with the pepper.
7. Grill chicken for approximately 4 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in center.
8. Remove chicken from pan and add limes, oranges and onions, grill for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and grill for another 1 -2 minutes until soften, but not popped.
9. Serve drizzled with the reserved sauce.

Serves 4.