ORANGE CHICKEN – Recipe by Piero Benigni – This dish is really good and delicate. During the long cooking the sweet of orange and the sour scent of vinegar combine with the meat, while the final addition of other aromas ensures an exquisite and intriguing result. You can do it for your family and it’s a great idea when you have guests, who will enjoy and remember it for a long time.
Ingredients for 2-3 persons (all spoons are tablespoons)
- 800 gchicken (28 oz)
- 6 spoonsvinegar
- 3 leavessage
- 1 sprigrosemary
- 1 spoonsugar
- 3 spoonsolive oil
- 2 spoonscognac (or other liqueur)
- 500 mlchicken broth (18 fl oz)
- 2oranges (organic, medium size, blonde)
- 1 glassdry white wine
- salt (at taste)
- black pepper (at taste)
- paprika (sweet or spicy, at taste)
Tools for the orange chicken
- Cooker
- 1 Pan 28 cm or 11″
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Juicer
- Wooden Spoon
- Scale
- 2 Bowls
Getting ready
Cut chicken into small-to-medium pieces and season with salt and black pepper. Cut the peel of the two oranges into long strips, trying to take as little as possible of the bitter white skin below, then again cut them into very thin strips. Squeeze the oranges and put 2 tablespoons of juice in a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of cognac or rum or whiskey and a good pinch of paprika, sweet or spicy at your taste, then set aside for the end of cooking. In another small bowl mix the remaining juice with 6 tablespoons of vinegar (red wine vinegar and/or Modena balsamic). Personally, I suggest half of one and half of the other. Add a tablespoon of sugar and mix.
Cooking orange chicken
Put 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a good 28 cm (11”) non-stick skillet, heat up and add the seasoned chicken pieces, 3 sage leaves and a small sprig of rosemary. Brown the chicken for several minutes at all sides until spotted brown, then pour the glass of wine. Raise the flame and let the alcohol evaporate, then sprinkle with the mix of juice, sugar and vinegar. Add the strips of zest and pour a cup of hot broth.
Cover almost completely and start cooking over a gentle flame, with the gravy just simmering. Every now and then stir, turn the pieces, wet them with the gravy and continue with the pan almost completely covered. When the gravy dries too much wet with more stock. If you run out of broth, use hot water. It is not possible to say how long the cooking lasts, because it depends on the nature of the chicken, but it is around an hour. At the end you must have enough gravy and the meats must be very tender, with the breast and thigh easily pricked by a fork.
Taste gravy and a tiny piece of meat. Adjust salt and pepper seasoning if needed. Pour the mix of juice, liquor and paprika, sprinkle the chicken, uncover, raise the flame and reduce gravy until thick but enough to be poured on the pieces before serving. The dish should be served warm with a crispy green salad aside. It can be stored for 2 days in the fridge or frozen, with a 3 months shelf life.