The first time I make a meal from a recipe I stick to exactly what the recipe says. Unless of course we're talking about garlic and then I go crazy. So I made this yummy meal for family last night. Charlie wondered why we were having chicken thighs. I never buy thighs, it's usually breasts, but that's what the recipe said so that's what I did! You could make this with any kind of chicken you want. Although, I will say our thighs were very juicy and just fell apart. I miss having skin on my chicken too. Some people think it's gross, but it's so yummy...and yes, I know so bad for you.
This did not have a strong orange flavor like I expected. I didn't use any extra sauce on my plate, but everyone at the table who did said you could taste the orange in the extra sauce.
Roasted Orange and Thyme Chicken
10 chicken thighs
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 T olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
3 C orange juice
2 tsp thyme, dried
1/4 C maple syrup
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 375°. Place chicken in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat 3 T of olive oil in a small sauce pan and saute onions. Once onions are sauteed, cook chicken in the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add OJ and thyme to the onions and bring to boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, until reduce to about 1/2 cup. Stir occasionally. Add syrup, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
After chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, brush with generous amount of sauce. Return to oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.
