Cajun Spiced Chicken

Name: Cajun Spiced Chicken
Total time: P1H
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients: vegetable juice cocktail; red wine vinegar; red hot pepper sauce; oregano; garlic; chicken drumsticks; celery; green bell peppers; onions; cornstarch; rice

Submitted by sandylad

Microwave Cajun spiced chicken drumsticks marinated in vegetable juice, hot sauce, and vinegar. Served over rice with a tangy vegetable sauce. Quick, low-fat, and ready in an hour.

YIELD

8 servings

PREP

45 min

COOK

25 min

READY

1 hrs

A retro-style microwave recipe that turns skinless chicken drumsticks into a spicy, saucy dinner over rice in about an hour.

The drumsticks soak in a zippy marinade of vegetable juice cocktail, red wine vinegar, hot sauce, oregano, and garlic. After 30 minutes in the fridge, they go straight into the microwave.

The reserved marinade gets thickened with cornstarch and mixed with sauteed celery, bell pepper, and onion for a chunky Cajun sauce that gets spooned right over the top.

It’s lean, it’s fast, and the vegetable juice marinade does double duty as both flavor base and sauce.

Pro Tips

Rotate the dish every 2 minutes for even cooking. Microwaves have hot spots, and quarter-turns prevent rubbery patches on the chicken.
Let the chicken rest covered for 5 minutes after cooking. Carryover heat finishes the job and the juices redistribute.
Use the full 30-minute marinate time. The acid from the vinegar and tomato juice tenderizes the meat and drives flavor into the drumsticks.

Ingredients

CUP VEGETABLE JUICE COCKTAIL

TABLESPOONS RED WINE VINEGAR

TEASPOONS RED HOT PEPPER SAUCE

TEASPOON OREGANO

CLOVE GARLIC

EACH CHICKEN DRUMSTICK
skinned *

TABLESPOONS CELERY
chopped

TABLESPOONS GREEN BELL PEPPER
diced

TABLESPOONS ONIONS
chopped

TABLESPOON CORNSTARCH

CUPS RICE
cooked, hot

Directions

Combine Vegetable Juice, Vinegar, Hot Sauce, Oregano, Minced Garlic in A Large Shallow Container; Stir Well.

Add Chicken, Turning Once To Coat. Marinate in Refrigerator 30 Min.

Remove From Marinade, Reserving Marinade.

Place Chicken On Microwave Glass Platter; Cover With Plastic Wrap, Turning Back 1 Corner To Vent.

Microwave At High 8 To 10 Min. OR Until Chicken Is Done, Giving Dish A Quarter-Turn At 2 Min. Intervals. Let Chicken Stand, Covered, 5 Min.

Combine Celery, Pepper and Onion in A 1-Quart Glass Measure; Microwave At High 3 to 4 Min. OR Until Vegetables Are Tender. Combine Reserved Marinade and Cornstarch, Stirring Until Smooth.

Add To Vegetable Mixture and Micro- Wave Uncovered At High 1 to 2 Min. OR Until Thickened. Serve Chicken Serve Over rice; Top With Sauce.