Saturday, March 6, 2010

Chicken Papaya

 
I'm sampling new-to-me foods and recipes in an effort to broaden my culinary horizons so I'll occasionally purchase a fruit or vegetable that is not typically found in my kitchen and find a recipe to go with it.  This week I purchased a papaya.  I like papaya, eating it as I would any melon, but I've never cooked with it, so when I spotted this recipe on Recipezaar with the high ratings I knew immediately what I was going to do.

Hmm....I  have an admitted fondness for fruits and meats cooked together yet  the jury is still out on this recipe.  I liked this, but I didn't really, really  like it, and I certainly didn't love it.. I found the sauce a little too sweet, but I think it's partly because I used dark brown sugar and the light brown would have been a better choice.  I think the breast should have been cut into bite sized chunks and instead of baking, probably just cooked on the stovetop.  I doubled the sauce because the recipe suggested it, if using over rice. It's a  good idea, but I would not double the amount of papaya.  I loved the addition of orange juice to this; it's perfect company for the papaya, enhancing the delicate flavor.  

And one last thing, I wish I knew more about spices as I think this could have used something to give it a little more oomph.  Maybe a couple of dried chilis or pepper flakes?    

Would I eat this again?  Yes, but I'm going to be a bit bolder and try some spices.  Would I order it in a restaurant, as written, probably not.  

(Recipezaar #187171)

1 whole roasting chicken, cut up, or 4 chicken breasts, halved, skinless and boneless
1/4 cup flour

Salt and pepper
1/4-1/2 cup butter, melted

Sauce:
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar (I suggest light brown)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups papaya, peeled, seeded, sliced

Preheat oven to 350* Fahrenheit.  In the roasting pan or baking dish, melt the butter in the oven.

In a small bowl, combine the  flour and salt and pepper.  Dredge chicken in the flour mixture, or alternatively combine the ingredients in a plastic bag and shake until well combined, and add chicken to coat.

Remove dish from oven and dip the chicken in the melted butter, with the buttered side up.

Bake for about one hour or until chicken is tender when pierced with a fork and juices are clear.

When done, drain fat, reserving chicken, and place chicken back back into the baking dish.

While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce.  Combine all ingredients, except papaya, in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil, stirring.  The sauce was thicken and become clear.

Add the papaya to the chicken, pour the sauce over all, and bake an additional five minutes to heat the papaya through.

Serve over rice.

51 comments:

  1. I'm not the biggest fan of papaya but I do like sweet/savory dishes. I bet some red pepper flakes would really liven this up.

    Is there really that much of a taste difference between light and dark brown sugar? I always interchange the two depending on what I have on hand...

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  2. It's interesting how you can make a recipe with so many ratings and still come out with changes you want to make that could make it even better to your liking. The dish looks so unique and delicious! And I bet it would be even more so with your choice of spices...

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  3. Papaya and chicken sounds like good combination to me! Chicken mixed with fruits can always provide a very tasty dish. Maybe a pinch of cinamon will give it that little more "oomph" as you said.
    Have a great weekend my friend!

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  4. I like the premise of this recipe, like you, I like fruit and meat dishes. How about a splash of Cider Vinegar? I'm going to send you a recipe that I just prepared. Somewhat simlar.

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  5. Its new to me...Looks delicious and mouthwatering...

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  6. Sounds like a lovely dish...wtg for being adventurous :)

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  7. This dish looks good to me. In Chinese cooking, we like to use raw papaya to cook with soup.
    Have a great weekend :)

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  8. I like to use papaya to prepare the dessert soups, stir-fry seafood, or to sweet and sour chicken!
    Love the sauce you did with this dish...must be very yummy.

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  9. I like sweet and savoury dishes and this one sounds delicious but add a few spices and it would 'rumble'..grin
    But Katy you would never know if you didn't try right?

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  10. V use raw papaya to make curries,but never tried with chicken..gr8 recipe katy..will giv a try sometime....

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  11. Really great review, Katy! I appreciate your honest opinion!!

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  12. What an inviting dish! Great presentation..

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  13. This is interesting,Katy. I have never cooked with ripe papaya, though we make dishes with the raw or semi-ripe ones.It looks fabulous

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  14. I have a hard time with fruits with meat and in salads..Im weird like that. However this really does look delicious..if u make it again,will you post what you added and how much?

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  15. Just reading this I think I would feel the exact same way about this recipe. I love that you are trying new foods. I do that with my kids every summer when I'm off work for a couple weeks and have more time to experiment. We pick something we've either never tried or try a new recipe with something we previously didn't like. We find lots of new favorites that way!

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  16. never have eaten one that I can remember... wonder if they are available down here... got to get to the store tomorrow

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  17. This sounds delicious but I'm with you on the bite size pieces. I like fruit and meat together too as well as fruit in salad. I guess that makes me fruity! LOL
    I'm asking my brother to help me remember Custard Gelatin. As soon as I can describe it to you, maybe we could begin a search. Thanks for offering to help me! It would be fun to make that recipe. For old times1 :)
    Have a great weekend Katy!

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  18. This sounds delicious but I'm with you on the bite size pieces. I like fruit and meat together too as well as fruit in salad. I guess that makes me fruity! LOL
    I'm asking my brother to help me remember Custard Gelatin. As soon as I can describe it to you, maybe we could begin a search. Thanks for offering to help me! It would be fun to make that recipe. For old times1 :)
    Have a great weekend Katy!

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  19. I think this might also work with thin cut pork chops. The papaya is a natural tenderizer. It's used that way in Asia. I don't care for it on its own. I find the texture off putting but used this way I think it would be fine.

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  20. I'm all for being adventurous Katie! This sure does sound good and different! I like the flavors in the sauce and I think a little bit of spicy would go good.

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  21. I don't know what would give it that extra something Katy- guess I need to get out of my comfort zone a little more.
    I like fruit and chicken together too,so this dish sounds like it shoud be a winner.

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  22. I LOVE the sound of this recipe...and the looks of it too in the photo....MMMMMM. I do a lot of fruit salsas on the side of meat dishes.....but this combo sounds heavenly. I love trying these new combos too..and Bob loves it when I experiment and try new dishes......I think we're gonna really like this one. :)

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  23. Props to you for being brave and forging ahead with papaya. I am not very familiar with papayas and would not even be able to pick one out. They are so good for you and I wish someone would tell me how to buy them. In the meantime, I stick to mangoes, cause I understand them.

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  24. That's too bad that you didn't love this one. I think chili flakes definitely would have added something nice to this, but sometimes sauces just aren't great. But kudos to you for branching out :)

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  25. This sounds like something Hubby would really enjoy. I must admit I don't know HOW to pick a good papaya (not to mention the papayas we get up here are usually hard to the touch). Maybe they have to soften up like an avocado? I'll have to do some research on how to tell a good/ripe papaya. Thanks for sharing this one Katy.

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  26. It looks mouth-watering Katy! Yum on the papaya!

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  27. This looks delicious Katy! Grumpy and I are trying to do the same thing - only with fish! We are closer to having a grocery with a fresh fish section and I'm so excited about it!

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  28. Katy...I just read a similar recipe in one of my recipe books last night. We are on the same wave length though....I am thinking it needs some oooomph! Papaya is a bit bland to me and as it is so expensive here I would consider really making it count in a dish! For me...I'd add a bit of hot sauce for sure...maybe even a bit of shredded ginger to pick it up!

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  29. Well, at least it looks good. : ) Still, I'm sorry it was disappointing. I get SO frustrated when I use my time and ingredients for a mediocre result. Maybe you can add some spices to the leftovers to experiment?

    I don't think that I've ever cooked with papaya, but I do like it in my fruit salad. It was brave of you to try. Hope you're having a nice weekend!

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  30. Sounds like a great chicken dish. We must be twins cause I have a birthday this next weekend also. Happy birthday, Katy. Thanks for your recipes and friendship.

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  31. I love sweet and savory and love fruit with protein, so this dish really excites me! Thanks for sharing!

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  32. I like this combo a lot. Maybe a little pepper for some heat. I would also just add a bit of sugar. I always cut the sugar from recipes. Mangoes can really add flair to a recipe.

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  33. ... meant to add - that just as with mangoes, I think papayas would meld well with fish or chicken. there. Now I'm done.I think.

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  34. i've never had a papaya, so i'm very intrigued with the recipe. i'm going to have to try it!

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  35. I love fruit and meat dishes too. I can't honestly say that I have ever cooked with papaya but, the color and the subtle sweetness would make a good combination of flavors. Like you said, this dish may need to be kicked-up a notch with some additional spices. I agree that the breast meat cut into chunks would be a good idea too.
    Great post!

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  36. Any recipe with "easy" and "chicken" in the title sounds great to me! ,-)

    Thanks so much for the hugs, I really shouldn't complain. We are all healthy and that's all that should matter. Life just gets overwhelming sometimes... *sigh*

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  37. Katy, my husbnd haven't seen this post of yours.if so he will definitely ask me to prepare because he s gr8 fa of pappaya, and that too with chicken he would like the combo for sure

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  38. I've never had anything like this before. Looks so delicious!

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  39. Hi Katy,
    so interesting, I like to mix fruits and meats together. I love the taste that comes out mixing them. I will keep this recipe and will try it. It remembers me another dish that I like very much...chicken with melon

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  40. What a different combination for me! I love papaya so I could like this dish.

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  41. I love fruits with chicken. This sounds like a dish I would enjoy. Thanks for posting this Katy!

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  42. I am disappointed that this was not as good as you would have liked because it sounds great. I wonder if it would work with another fruit and a bit more fire.

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  43. I'm not sure about papaya so I'm not certain I would cook with it. I do though admire your adventure culinary spirit! :)
    ~ingrid

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  44. I haven't tried papaya with meat yet. I so like Mary's idea of using pork. Sorry it was a great as you had hoped.

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  45. Go Katy, go Katy, go Katy.

    I love meat and fruit together too. It seems to always taste luxurious with such richness. This is great and I love that you are dipping into the spices more and more.

    I try to do this too. My latest thing I bought and have yet to try a recipe is pandan leaves. But I think I am closer to a recipe now.

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  46. One of the great things about recipes is that you can continue to tweak until you get it to your liking. Maybe you can make it again with all of the changes you noted. Papaya helps to tenderize meat, so it's actually a great combination.

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  47. What an excellent pairing of papaya and chicken - a super delicious casserole!

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  48. Katy,

    This looks beautiful. Papaya has such a nice texture and the flavor is delicate. Carol and I had quite a time with the lemon chicken we made and both decided to leave out the soy sauce. it worked for us. maybe cut down on the sugar a touch and go for it with the spices! maybe a pinch of ginger? I'll have to give this one a try it sounds delicious!!

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  49. Oh my, cooking with papaya! So, do you use ripe papaya or the half raw type? We usually use the half raw one in making salad or pickled but not in cooking. So, how does it taste like?

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  50. This looks really good... I love papaya... thanks!

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  51. My husband doesn't love fruit with dinner, but I love it! I too need to try more new-to-me foods.

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