Orange Chicken

orange soy chicken
with crispy skin

So, obviously, the end of last week took a little detour. I meant to finish up my exploration of using up oranges on Friday.

Nevertheless, we march ever forward!

"Now we take the bird..."

This recipe is good for either a whole chicken or for parts--as in a bag of wings or a bag of legs et al. I chose to use a whole chicken but I cut it down the center (using my best Julia Child voice, I assure you) and laid it flat in a large pyrex casserole dish.





Regardless of what you choose to use, you will need to marinate the meat for a few hours with one part and mix a second part for brushing on the meat as it cooks.





Now, if you are using a bunch of pieces, you can simply marinate them in a ziploc bag for a few hours before roasting.  Stuffing a whole chicken into a bag isn't as easy. I placed mine in the dish I planned to bake it in, covered it with the marinade and chilled it for a couple of hours before cooking.



In a bowl, whisk together
the juice of two oranges (keep the rind)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp fresh diced garlic
pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar

Pour this over the raw meat. If you are making more than 4 pounds of chicken, double or triple this amount, of course.

Cover and chill.



I'll explain what I did from here with a whole chicken, which took approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to cook at 350. If you are doing pieces, it will take less time so adjust how long you cook the meat, covered and then uncovered accordingly.



Before cooking the chicken, mix up a second batch of the marinade. Take the rinds from the oranges you have juiced and either stuff them into the bird's cavity with 1/2 an onion, roughly chopped or-if your bird  is in half like mine was, place them under the bird. Brush the chicken with the marinade it has been soaking in and cover with foil.



Cook the whole chicken, covered for 45 before removing the foil and brushing with some of the second batch of marinade. Repeat this step every 10-15 minutes for the next hour. Because you are opening up the oven so often, you are losing heat which is why it takes so long to cook the chicken properly but you are also getting a nice, dark crispy skin on your chicken.



Ah, yes, crispy skin. Look, I don't recommend anyone eats unhealthily all the time but, good grief, if you can't indulge a little here and there, what's the fun? I'm not your doctor.

Be sure to use a meat thermometer to test the doneness of the meat before removing. Chicken should be above 160 degrees (F) to ensure you've killed any bad buggies that could make you ill. And speaking of stuff that can make you sick, be sure to clean your basting brush in boiling water and wipe down any surfaces that raw meat or it's juices may have been exposed to.

Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Leftovers from this  are perfect for stir fry or for wraps (a little spinach, some orange slices, some shredded carrot mmmmmm).