Orange Chicken

What with friends coming and going, somehow I found myself with a considerable amount of orange juice left over. In my experience, it can be tricky cooking and baking with orange juice simply because the flavor fades. It's not that it's bad, the flavor just doesn't pop like I would like.

I love Orange Chicken. That nice glaze and sauce are yummy. But my efforts at recreating it have largely been edible flops. When I hit the Internet for recipe ideas, I found a lot of them called for using orange marmalade. Basically you coat the chicken with the orange marmalade and bake. I bet it's delicious but where's the sauce for the rice?

As I continued to peruse recipes, I found several that were what I had in mind. And they were all based on a recipe from one of my favorites - America's Test Kitchen. It was a dead giveaway each time because they all used 1 1/2 cups of orange juice. Of course, most of them gave credit to America's Test Kitchen, and then said they had modified the recipe to suit them. I never did find the original recipe, but the basics were the same, so I winged it with my own version.

I have to admit that it was great. I'll definitely be making it again. Next time I'll try adding a tablespoon of soy sauce for a little bit of saltiness. Otherwise, I wouldn't change much at all. The sauce turns into a lovely thick glaze that clings to the meat. Exactly how it should be. No cornstarch needed! The big plus is that it makes quite a bit of sauce. Too often I find I'm scraping the pan for a little bit more sauce. Not with this recipe! I started with 2 cups of orange juice and reduced it a little bit to boost the orange flavor.

I made this with the weird cut-up chicken available at my grocery store. Weird because it has two breasts (with the bones) and four legs. I'd like to see that chicken! You could make this with just about any chicken parts that you like, even boneless breasts, but watch the cooking time. I was surprised that it only took a little over 20 minutes for the legs to cook. Plan accordingly. Boneless breasts might be done quite fast depending on their thickness.

Orange Chicken

inspired by various bloggers and based on America's Test Kitchen recipe

2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (not powder)
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used balsamic but white would do)
2 tablespoons olive oil
flour (about 1/4 cup)
1 chicken cut up or 8 chicken thighs or legs (see note above)
3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 400.

Pour the orange juice into a pot and bring to a low boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook without a lid until reduced by one-fourth. Add the corn syrup, garlic, mustard and vinegar and whisk to combine. Simmer.

Heat the oil in an oven-safe pan just large enough to contain all your chicken. Dredge the chicken pieces through the flour and brown in the pan on both sides. Remove the browned chicken from the pan and pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Simmer the sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Return the chicken to the pan. Slide the pan into the oven (uncovered). TIP: Hang kitchen mitt on the oven door so you won't be tempted to reach in and grab the pan without it. After 10 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over. Cook another 10 - 20 minutes depending on the cut and thickness of your chicken. (Note, I'm guessing that small boneless chicken breasts might only need 12-15 minutes TOTAL.)

Remove from oven. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest. Meanwhile, add remaining three tablespoons orange juice to the sauce and bring to a simmer for about four minutes. Plate the chicken and pour sauce over it.

Simmering sauce

Thickened sauce

Jane Cleland - guest author

Today, let's welcome mystery author Jane K. Cleland.

Her multiple award-nominated and IMBA best selling Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series [St. Martin’s Minotaur] has been reviewed as an Antiques Roadshow for mystery fans. “Josie” stories have also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Jane chairs the Wolfe Pack’s literary awards, which include the Nero Award and the Black Orchid Novella Award, granted in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. She is a past chapter president and current board member of the Mystery Writers of America/New York Chapter.

Jane's latest: SILENT AUCTION, St. Martin’s Minotaur.

Reviewers say: The Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries. "Ingenious ... engaging!" Publishers Weekly. www.janecleland.net Jane does Business Communications training work, too! www.janecleland.com

And now let's hear from Jane!

Josie’s Mom’s Cookbook:

A Legacy of Love

by Jane K. Cleland

My protagonist, antiques appraiser Josie Prescott, loves to cook. Often she uses the cookbook her mother made for her in the days before she died. Josie was only thirteen then, but she’s come to understand that the cookbook was an important part of her mother’s legacy.

In the days before she died, Josie’s mom wrote out her favorite recipes, complete with little illustrations and cooking tips like serving something sweet with something savory.

Isn’t hand-writing a cookbook a lovely idea? What a thoughtful and enduring legacy. Now, decades later, the mere act of touching the leather-bound cookbook sooths Josie’s soul, enabling her to feel connected to her long-deceased, much loved, and much missed mother.

Not all mothers are like that. My mother, for instance, took a different approach to sharing recipes. My mother kept her recipes on index cards filled with lies. She didn’t want anyone to be able to cook her specialties so she changed ingredients, quantities, and/or instructions.

Isn’t that amazing? She lied even to me, her only daughter! My mother was a crackerjack cook, but darn, I wish she hadn’t had that odd kick in her gallop when it came to sharing recipes. I can laugh about it, but I also think it’s sort of sad.

Some of my favorite dishes are gone forever because my mother didn’t write them down. I no longer have her luscious cinnamon roll-ups or her red wine pot roast or her quirky Hawaiian chicken.

I include many mentions of food in my Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries, and I’ve posted many of the recipes on my website, www.janecleland.net. Here are two that are among my favorite dishes, Josie’s Mom’s Scrambled Eggs and Orange Chicken. Preparing and sharing delicious food is one of the ways we humans show our love for one another. I hope you try them, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

And if anyone has a good recipe for cinnamon roll-ups, I’d love it if you’d e-mail it to me at jane@janecleland.net.

Josie’s Mom’s Scrambled Eggs

[from Consigned to Death]

In advance, prepare the egg mixture:

Figure on 2 eggs per person.

1. Crack the eggs one at a time in a small bowl to ensure no shell pieces fall in. 


2. Transfer the eggs to a bowl large enough so when you whisk the eggs briskly, there will be no spillage.


3. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.


4. Add 1/8 tsp. vanilla per 2 eggs.


5. Add a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg.


6. Whisk the egg mixture briskly. Set aside.

In advance, prepare the

vegetables:

One medium-sized tomato per 2 eggs, chopped coarsely. Salt the tomato generously, and stir gently. ½ medium-sized white or yellow onion, chopped finely. Add salt and pepper to the onion to taste

To prepare the eggs:

1. In a frying pan (choose the size of the pan based on the quantity of eggs you’re cooking), melt 
 butter over low heat. Plan on using 1 tab of butter per 2 eggs.


2. Add onions and sauté gently until golden brown.


3. Add tomatoes and sauté gently for a minute or two, until the tomatoes are soft, but not mushy.


4. While the tomatoes are cooking, whisk the egg mixture again until it’s frothy.


5. As soon as the tomatoes are ready, add the egg mixture.


6 .Stir occasionally, not allowing any area to be still for more than several seconds. 


7. When almost cooked, remove pan from heat and immediately scrape eggs onto plates.

Josie’s mom recommends serving the eggs with a fruit salad, toast (buttered and sprinkled with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar), bacon, and broiled tomatoes.

Orange Chicken
[from Deadly Appraisal]

To prepare the marinade, mix together:

1 c. fresh-squeezed orange juice, with pulp


3 oz. soy sauce


1 tsp. ground ginger 


3 garlic cloves, finely minced

Directions:

1. Remove skin from 2 chicken breasts, split.

2. Marinate, breast down, in orange juice mixture for at least four hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4. Place chicken pieces breast up in a small baking pan. Make sure the marinade almost covers the chicken.

5. Spread peach jam liberally over the exposed parts of the chicken.

6. Bake for forty minutes to an hour, basting as needed, until the jam is golden, and the chicken is cooked through, but not dry.

Serve with Wild Rice

And if anyone has a good recipe for cinnamon roll-ups, I’d love it if you’d e-mail it to me at jane@janecleland.net.