If you read our post for our Tropical Coleslaw recipe then you know that my parents have always loved to share a meal together. One summer in the mid 80’s during the early years of their relationship they decided to get fit. It meant a lot of walking, avoiding their usual haunts and coming up with flavourful recipes to make at home.
Two memorable recipes passed the test of time. Mom never forgot making the Tropical Coleslaw or the cinnamon chicken and while workshopping this recipe we came up with a perfect sauce to pair with it.
The marinade is simple and doesn’t contain any acid so you can prep the chicken ahead of time, throw it in the freezer and it is ready for when you need it again. If you decide to make extra we have two fantastic meals you can make with the leftovers, be sure to check them out below.
To prepare the chicken make sure the breasts are an even thickness. The fat end of the breast can be pounded lightly between plastic wrap using a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin.
Ingredients for Marinade
(4 medium chicken Breasts)
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground ginger
⅛ tsp ground ancho chilies
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp oil
Tip from Jane: If making marinade for more than 4 chicken breasts do not double the tumeric. The tumeric’s main purpose is to add colour, too much tumeric can cause bitterness.
Mix three tablespoons of canola oil and spices in a small bowl. Place the prepared chicken in a shallow baking pan or in a resealable plastic bag. Add the marinade to the chicken tossing until evenly coated. Allow chicken to marinate for a minimum of two hours up to 24 hours. Giving the chicken some time to marinate will result in more flavour.
This marinade does not contain an acid so you can freeze the chicken at this point. Keep in mind if you have already freezed and thawed the chicken you won’t want to throw it back into the freezer.
To cook the chicken heat two tablespoons of canola oil and a tablespoon of butter on medium heat in a frying pan. If your pan cannot hold all of the chicken breasts without over crowding fry in two batches.
Cook 5-8 minutes on one side. Resist moving the chicken around too much as you will not get a proper sear and risk tearing the meat. Flip and cook an additional 5 to 8 minutes. To ensure that you don’t overcook your chicken breast, as this will result in tough chicken, consider testing with a meat thermometer (a great investment). The internal temperature should read 75°C (170°F ). Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing or serving. This will keep the juices in the chicken where they belong.
Tip from Jane: Remove chicken from the pan using tongs so you don’t pierce the meat and let the juices run out.
You can serve the chicken as is but Mom and I both agree that it needs a little sweetness. We decided to do this by making a Mandarin Pineapple sauce using the leftover mandarin simple syrup and pineapple juice from our Tropical Coleslaw side.
Mandarin Pineapple Sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
¾ juice (mandarin and pineapple)
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ fresh ginger
Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. In a small saucepan combine juice, cinnamon and ginger, bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the slurry and reduce the mixture to a simmer until thickened. Add sugar to taste if you feel it is not sweet enough.
Let’s Talk Leftovers!
If you decided to cook your chicken instead of freezing it and you have leftovers don’t worry! We have you covered with two great options. You may like them so much you will be sure to always make extra chicken. First up, cinnamon chicken salad.
Cinnamon Chicken salad
Diced cinnamon chicken, celery and red pepper
Chopped onion
Grated carrot
Mayonnaise
Grainy mustard
Relish
We did not include measurements as it will all depend on how much chicken you have leftover. Throw in what you have! When adding the wet ingredients start with less, you can always add more as you go. Adjust as needed.
Why relish? Similar to our mandarin pineapple sauce the relish adds a much needed sweetness. If you don’t have relish try chutney if you have it.
This next leftover recipe includes leftovers from our Tropical Coleslaw recipe as well as our Cinnamon Chicken! Can’t go wrong with that.
Cinnamon Chicken Fried Rice
Sliced cinnamon chicken
Rice
Chopped cabbage, mushrooms, red pepper.
Grated carrot
Fresh ginger and garlic
Sesame seeds to top
For a sauce we combined some mandarine, pineapple juice, hoisin and soy sauce to taste.
Brown vegetables in butter. Add the cooked rice and sauce stir until evenly coated. Add the chicken to heat it, remove and top with sesame seeds.
We have given you some inspiration for leftovers, the rest is up to you!
Cinnamon Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground ancho chilies
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp Canola Oil
Mandarin Pineapple Sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 3/4 cup Mandarin and Pineapple juice
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp chopped fresh ginger
Instructions
Chicken
- For even cooking consider flattening the thickest side of the chicken breast to match the thinnest side.
- Combine oil and spices, coat chicken in marinade.
- Let the chicken marinate for a minimum of 2-3 hours up to 24 hours.
- To cook the chicken heat two tablespoons of canola oil and a tablespoon of butter on medium heat in a frying pan. If your pan cannot hold all of the chicken breasts without crowding fry in two batches.
- Cook 5-8 minutes on one side. Resist moving the chicken around too much as you will not get a proper sear and risk tearing the meat. Flip and cook an additional 5 to 8 minutes. To ensure that you don't overcook your chicken breast, as this will result in touch chicken, consider testing with a meat thermometer (a great investment). The internal temperature should read 75°C (170°F ).
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing or serving. This will keep the juices in the chicken where they belong.
Mandarin Pineapple sauce
- Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
- In a small saucepan combine juice, cinnamon and ginger, bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Add the slurry and reduce the mixture to a simmer until thickened.
- Add sugar to taste if you feel it is not sweet enough.
