Orange Marmalade Chicken Thighs

 

Upon reading Dorothy’s post in her wonderful blog “The New Vintage Kitchen”,  about her friend’s Hilda’s chicken marmalade recipe, I knew I wanted to give it a try. Such simple, yet complex at the same time, recipes, always intrigue me. The fact that the main flavoring ingredient was orange marmalade, a favorite of mine, was definitely part of the attraction.
As I didn’t have the specific bitter orange marmalade Dorothy recommended on at hand, I’ve decided to improvise a bit. The marmalade I’ve used was Whole Foods’ Orange Marmalade Fruit Spread, which is fairly mild in flavor and aroma, and I knew it needed a bit of flavor kick. A bit Dijon mustard, a small amount of spicy Gochujang sauce, salt and freshly ground four peppers mix, did exactly that, and gave it more complex flavors and aroma.
As I had some blood oranges at hand, I’ve decided the dish would benefit from adding slices of it to the pan. The blood orange indeed added lots of orange aroma, and the extra bitterness that the marmalade was lacking. Once roasted along with the chicken, the slices also made an extra tasty garnish to the chicken.
The prepared chicken was so tasty and aromatic, that I was sorry for not doubling the amount. Served with assorted roasted vegetables and potatoes, it made the perfect dish for a light dinner. Try it and enjoy.

 

Makes: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Frying time: 15 minutes
Roasting time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
1 blood orange
4 medium chicken thighs (1.6 lbs./750 grams), bone in, skin on, preferably air chilled
2 tsp salt, divided
½ tsp freshly ground four pepper mix
1/3 cup flour
Light olive oil for shallow frying
4 Tbs orange marmalade (see introduction)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Gochujang sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 250F (120C). Line a deep baking pan with baking paper. Wash and dry the blood orange, cut in half, lengthwise, slice into medium slices, and arrange in the pan.
2. Rub the chicken on both sides with ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. In a shallow container, mix the flour with ¾ tsp salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mix, on both sides.
3. Heat the oil in a wide pan, over medium-high heat. Shake off excess flour from the chicken, and place in the oil, skin side down. Fry for 6-7 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crisp. Turn to the other side and fry for 6-7 minutes. Place in the pan, skin side up.
4. Mix the orange marmalade with the mustard, Gochujang sauce, 1 tsp salt, and a bit more four peppers mix. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Spread 1 Tbs over each chicken thigh.
5. Cover the pan with baking paper and aluminum foil, and seal it tight. Bake for 2 hours. Uncover the pan, and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, to brown the top a bit (skip this step if you don’t have a broiler).
6. Serve with roasted vegetables, potatoes, blood orange slices, and spoon the pan liquids over.