Cooking for two

No one cries foul over homemade glaze

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken Cutlets
Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken Cutlets

You can find plenty of prepared marinades and barbecue sauces in stores, but why buy them? It's easy to mix up quick marinades and glazes from what you have in the pantry.

This apricot barbecue glaze is a good example. Preparation time is about 15 minutes.

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken Cutlets

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, divided use

3 tablespoons apricot jam or preserves, divided use

1 1/2 teaspoons mild olive oil

Ground cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded into cutlets

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons finely diced onion

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 or 3 apricots, plums or peaches, cut in half and pitted

2 large green onions, trimmed

For the chicken and marinade: Whisk together 3 tablespoons of the orange juice, 1 tablespoons of the jam or preserves, the olive oil and a pinch cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then pour into a resealable gallon-size food storage bag. Add the chicken cutlets and seal, pressing out as much air as possible. Massage to coat the chicken evenly. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

Heat the vegetable oil in a small saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, until the onion has softened. Add the tomato paste and a pinch cayenne pepper; cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining orange juice, jam or preserves and the wine. Season with black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the jam dissolves. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the mixture is barely bubbling at the edges; cook for 8 minutes. Taste again and adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove from the heat.

Prepare the grill for medium-high direct heat. Oil the grill grate; place the grate on the grill.

Transfer the cutlets to the grill (discard the marinade). Add the apricot halves, cut sides down, and the green onions. Close the lid and cook 4 minutes or until the chicken has good grill marks. Turn the cutlets over. Turn the apricots and onions over and move them to the outer edges of the grill grate.

Baste the apricots, onions and the grilled side of the chicken with the glaze. Close the lid and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until the cutlets are cooked through. Turn them over and baste the second side with the glaze.

Transfer the apricot halves and scallions to a plate.

Close the lid and cook the chicken 2 minutes to set the glaze.

Serve the cutlets with the apricot halves and onion.

Makes 2 servings.

Food on 08/27/2014

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