WINNING RECIPE

The March issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine is out, and my name is listed as an honor roll winner. My recipe is not in the magazine. Instead, the honor roll winners get their recipes published in their cookbooks. I don't have a photo of this dish, but I did make it twice before I sent the recipe in, and I thought it was pretty good. The category the recipe was entered under was "Frozen Fruits to the Rescue." BH&G tweaked my recipe a bit (they used chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, and my recipe called for chipotle chile powder; and they added orange juice to the blueberry sauce). Their version is below:

Blueberry Pepper Sauce with Chipotle Chile Chicken
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. honey
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. finely chopped chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup chopped sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen unsweetened blueberries
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, honey, 1 tsp. of the oregano, the chipotle pepper, and salt. Brush both sides of chicken with chipotle mixture. Arrange chicken in prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done (170F).

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in blueberries, orange juice, vinegar, remaining 1/2 tsp. oregano and black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 12 minutes or until thickened but still saucy, stirring occasionally.

3. To serve, transfer chicken to serving platter or plates. Spoon blueberry sauce over chicken. Makes 4 servings.