Baked Chicken Thighs in a Papaya Seed Marinade

Using up papaya seeds may seem a bit over the top to some people, but I really hate to throw out anything that can be eaten! I have used the seeds to make a salad dressing before (see the post

Baby Greens with Flank Steak, Papaya, Blue Cheese and Papaya Seed Dressing).

 

I have never cooked them before, so decided to make a marinade for chicken thighs. The peppery bite the papaya seeds added to the marinade was amazing; I added no extra pepper. 

 

Some grape tomatoes that were starting to wrinkle, and 12 asparagus spears were in the fridge, so I added them to the meal, and along with some open white wine, turned everything into a baked chicken dish.

Make the marinade by placing the ingredients in a blender and pureeing until smooth. Place into a resealable plastic bag:

Seeds from half a papaya
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Pinch of salt

Add:

7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, making sure that all of the thighs are covered by marinade.

Refrigerate overnight.





Heat the oven to 375F, and have an ovenproof dish ready.

In a hot skillet, using a tiny bit of olive oil, sear the chicken on both sides.

Remove the chicken from the pan when both sides are well browned, and place in the ovenproof dish.

In the same pan, over a medium high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, and cook until just starting to colour:

12 spears of asparagus, cut into 3"lengths
1/2 orange pepper, diced

Remove from the pan and add to the chicken.

Keep the pan on the heat and add:

a large handful of grape tomatoes

Cook, stirring often, until the skins start to blister.
Add to the chicken, asparagus and orange pepper.

Keeping the pan on the heat, add:

1/4 cup white wine

Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to remove the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour the white wine over the chicken and vegetables.

Place into the oven and bake until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.




I served the chicken and vegetables over a bed of coconut rice and diced avocado. Make sure to give each serving some of the pan juices.

• Papaya seeds can be eaten straight from the fruit; they can be used to make salad dressing. They can also be washed, and then dried out in a low oven and ground up to use as a seasoning. The peppery bite that the seeds have is lessened  by drying them.
• Both the papaya fruit and seeds contain an enzyme that helps to tenderize meat.
• The chicken thighs can also be grilled, along with the vegetables, and served with a salad. If you grill the meat, save the marinade and use it to baste the chicken while cooking.
• To make the coconut rice, cook 1 cup of basmati rice with 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water.