Grilled Chicken Veracruz

By HeatherS

Liven up grilled chicken or fish with this quick and easy Veracruz sauce. With fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, capers and olives, it's the perfect marriage of Spanish and Mexican flavours.

Ingredients

• Grilled Chicken
• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Veracruz Sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 small red pepper, sliced
• 1 to 2 jalapeños, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tbsp. capers
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped green olives
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 4 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste (optional)
• Assembly
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley, for garnishing
• Lemon wedges, for garnishing
• Steamed rice, for serving (optional)

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from cbc.ca

Preparation

Step 1

Grilled Chicken
Preheat grill pan or grill to high.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.

Reduce grill heat to medium. Add chicken to grill. Cook until juices run clear and cooked through, flipping once, about 5 to 6 minutes per side, depending on thickness of chicken.

Veracruz Sauce
Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion, red pepper and jalapeño. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and oregano and cook, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add capers, olives and raisins and cook, stirring occasionally, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. For a thicker sauce, add 1 tbsp. tomato paste. Cook until sauce thickens, and most of water from tomatoes evaporates, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Assembly
Pour sauce over grilled chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Serve with rice, if desired.