Blood Orange Chicken With Olives, Leeks and Onion

I’ve been on a chicken kick lately. Probably because my husband and I have been trying to eat a little healthier and because chicken is easy. Chicken is like a blank slate or canvas, you can throw almost anything in with it and it’s going to turn out pretty good. I like this recipe because it’s fruity and a little sweet but a little salty too. Blood oranges are soooo flavorful and with the salty olives plus savory onion, it’s a fruity fun-kicked up one-pan chicken dinner. And we all know I love a meal with very few dishes to clean.

I found this recipe in one of my favorite new cookbooks Dinner, Changing the Game by Melissa Clark. She’s good, really good. I would recommend her book to anyone looking for a go-to recipe book.  Some process pix are posted below. 🙂

Stuff you’ll need:

2 small blood oranges
¼ cup Scotch whiskey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, grated on a Microplane or minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of red chile flakes
1 small red onion
1 small fennel bulb (fronds chopped for garnish optional)
2 large chicken breasts (I cut them in half)
Olive oil, for drizzling
½ cup pitted green olives
½ teaspoon granulated sugar

How to make this fruity chicken:

Finely grate the zest of one blood orange (or half of a large orange), and place in a large bowl. Large enough to fit the chicken, leeks and onion. 

Slice the ends off the oranges. Stand each orange up on a cut end and use a paring knife to slice off the peel and pith. Slice oranges crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds and set aside. 

Stir the whiskey, brown sugar, mustard, lemon juice, thyme sprigs, garlic, salt, pepper, and chile flakes into the bowl containing the orange zest. 

Cut the onion in half into ¼-inch-thick wedges. Do the same with the fennel bulb. Add the onion, fennel, and chicken pieces to the bowl. Toss and stir the entire mixture until will combine and coated in the marinade. Let it stand, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate it overnight. 

Heat the oven to 475° F. 

Remove the chicken and vegetables from the marinade, leaving as much liquid behind as possible (discard the liquid). Arrange the meat and vegetables in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Note – My oven cooked the chicken much faster, so I would check it at 15 minutes so you don’t overcook it. Transfer the chicken to a platter and tent it with aluminum foil to rest. 

Arrange the reserved orange slices and olives in a small roasting pan, sprinkle the slices with sugar, and broil until browned in spots, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve topped with the oranges and fennel fronds (optional).