Chicken with Capers

I Heart Cooking Clubs theme this week is from the earth and our Chef is Rick Bayless. I don't own any of Rick's cookbooks, so I went to our local library to check them out. Ahem. Our local library doesn't even have one of his books. So, I've been finding recipes on the internet and this one from Season 5, Mexico-One Plate at a Time sounded good. I thought about ordering one of his books, but really, the last thing I want to do is start collecting more of anything. 

Because I don't very often follow recipes when making dinner, I had fun putting this together. I would never have added cloves to a chicken recipe - it just isn't something that would occur to me. I did add it to this because I was following a recipe and I'm glad I did, although I couldn't detect the flavor. Served with some buttered orzo, this was a delicious meal with a combination of sweet, salty, savory, and spicy flavors.

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Chicken with Capers - adapted from Rick Bayless

2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

3 T olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2-14 oz. cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes

3 large jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 c coarsely chopped pitted green olives

3 T capers, coarsely chopped, plus 1 T brine

1/4 c raisins

3 cups water

Dry chicken on paper towels. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil. Lay the chicken in the pan and brown until golden. Remove chicken from pan.

Add the onions to the pan and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and jalapenos; cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until slightly reduced, about 20 minutes. Add spices, olives, capers, brine, raisins, and 3 cups water. Put the chicken back into the pan, cover and cook until the meat is cooked, about 25-35 minutes.