La cacerola quemó pollo con Mojo de Ajo

 When inspiration hits you about food ... I feel that is the best time to listen to that little inner voice.  That's exactly what happened to me today.  While enjoying my last vacation day from work I was doing some planning and organizing.  And then it hit ... trying a new recipe was just going to happen tonight for dinner.  I listened.

La cacerola quemo pollo con Mojo de Ajo translates into pan seared chicken with garlic sauce.  Mojo de Ajo is also referred to frequently as 'liquid gold.'  I'll agree with that description ... as a huge fan of garlic - liquid gold totally describes this amazing dish.

I come from a Mexican heritage so I like to experiment more and more with the cuisine here at home.  I am proud of my heritage and introduce it to my children when I see the opportunity.  Dinner is an expression of my love for my family; it is only natural to give them that in the form of food.

Start with the basics.  We have to create the Mojo de Ajo.  Our garlic sauce.  So we start with some basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

• 3-4 garlic heads, (depends on how big of a batch you want to make
• 2 limes
• olive oil, (or sub your own sweet oil)
• red pepper flakes

Mojo de Ajo will keep in a container for up to 3 months, (or more) and it is simply amazing as ceviche  - chilled shrimp and mojo de ajo with some cilantro, pico de gallo .... I digress.  So if you are going to make a batch, why not make a little extra to have left over to throw into other meals, (shredded chicken for burritos, fish tacos ... even salad dressing!).

So garlic is pretty self explanatory.  Break apart the clove and use the edge of your knife to smash the clove.  The skin will then just peel off.  You want to do this for all the heads of garlic.  Set aside.

Next you will end up with a beautiful, heaping pile of peeled garlic cloves.  Ahhhhhh ... simply beautiful.

You will then want to take a baking dish and put your cloves in just as they are.  Cover with olive oil up until you cover them completely.

My secret ... I got very excited at this step.  I couldn't WAIT to begin smelling the roasted garlic.  So place your soaked garlic in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  *Note: Your house will smell amazing .. be prepared for your kitchen to be ambushed by your family and very possibly your neighbors.

So here we are at the end of 40 minutes.  *drool*  We are going to add the finishing touches at this point.  Add in red pepper flakes to taste.  (these will make your mojo de ajo spicier the more red pepper you add, so use as much as you are comfortable with)

Cut your limes in half ... using a fork stabbed into them, squeeze the juice over your red pepper, garlic and oil mixture.

Once you have combined everything, give it a quick stir with your fork and then, (reluctantly) place it back into the oven for another 20 minutes.

At the end of the 20 minutes remove from the oven and take a mallet and mash the heads of garlic.  I like to leave mine slightly chunky.  This roasted garlic is so sweet and tender ... it will melt in your mouth.  It's that amazing.

You can take a nice mason jar or other glass container to store your mojo de ajo in.  As I said before, this oil will keep for 3+ months ... you can add it to almost any meal!

And here is my final mojo de ajo ....

Goodness.  That's what these glass jars hold.  Pure liquid gold.  YUM.

At this point I just wanted to revel in the moment, but I had to continue with dinner.  I butterflied and pounded out 2 chicken breasts lightly.  I then dredged in flour and pan seared using the mojo de ajo I just created.  Pan sear about 6 minutes per side, or until your chicken breasts are cooked through to a nice golden brown.

I then decided to do a natural long grain wild mushroom rice.  In with the rice I added about a tablespoon of my mojo de ajo to carry the flavor throughout the meal.  I also cooked up some steamed carrots as my toddler loves them so I wanted a bit of color to my meal.

And .....

There you have it.  Pollo con mojo de ajo.  Chicken with garlic sauce.  Simple.  Delicious.  A meal your family won't forget.

Cheers!
~Jacqui