Chicken Alejandro *

Chicken Alejandro is a Mexican-leaning chicken breast dish that uses salsa as both the cooking liquid and the flavor base, then deepens it with warming spices that point at mole territory. The whole pot comes together in one skillet in under an hour.

The distinctive move here is the cinnamon and cloves. A quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and an eighth of a teaspoon of ground cloves are small amounts, but they pull a basic salsa sauce out of the weeknight ordinary and into something with more depth and warmth. The bay leaf does background savory work.

Fresh orange sections folded in at the end are not garnish; they bring a sweet, juicy pop that cuts through the savory tomato base. The cornstarch slurry whisked with tomato sauce thickens the pan liquid into a real coating sauce in about a minute. Serve over rice so it can soak up every drop.

Chef Tips

• Use a thick chunky salsa rather than a thin watery one; the salsa is doing most of the heavy structural work in the sauce.
• Slide a knife between the orange membranes for clean supremes if you have time; rough sections work in a pinch.
• Stir the cornstarch into cold tomato sauce, not warm, to avoid lumps.
• Add the orange sections at the very last minute so they warm through but do not break down into mush.

Variations

• Swap chicken breast for boneless chicken thighs for a richer, more forgiving result.
• Use Spanish paprika and a pinch of cocoa powder along with the cinnamon for a mole-leaning version.
• Add a tablespoon of tequila or orange liqueur at the end of cooking for a brighter sauce.