Spicy Orange Chicken Thighs

I love chicken leg quarters. Ever since I noticed how wonderfully inexpensive this cut of meat is, in college and how filling just one leg quarter was, it has been my most frequently purchased meat cut. When I purchase them, I either freeze them whole or cut them into thighs and legs. The only difficulty is finding new ways to make this wonderfully delicious and moist piece of meat. I am slowly trying to go through my freezer and clear away much of the foods that I have been storing. Whenever I make foods, I usually freeze a portion for the future. However, I have notice lately, that my freezer has become overstocked. I hope that in the next week, my freezer will be cleared so I can refill it 🙂

Today, I craved Chinese styled foods. Something about soy sauce that makes me start salivating! I decided to try my hand at making Orange Chicken. Normally, it is something I do not order, when I am at a Chinese restaurant because often times, there is way too much “orange” flavor that tended to be bitter and the dish was often too sweet. Adding my love for spicy, tonight’s dish seem to fit the bill perfectly. I think, however, when I make this again, I may add a touch more garlic. I think that the most important step in this whole dish has to do with the marmalade. Make sure you strain the marmalade of the white rinds before adding it to the sauce. The rinds will make the sauce bitter.

Ingredients For Chicken:

4-6 Chicken Thighs, skin on

Salt and Pepper

Canola Oil

1/2 cup of Flour

Ingredients for Sauce:

2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes

1 cup of orange marmalade, strained to remove white rinds (Very important)

1/3 cup of rice vinegar

1/4 cup of hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of crushed garlic (I will use 2 tablespoons next time)

1 green onion, finely sliced

dash of sesame oil

toasted sesame seeds

Ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Salt and pepper chicken thighs and drizzle with canola oil (enough to coat)
3. In a large bag, place about 1/2 cup of flour and place chicken thighs
4. Sealing the top of the bag, shake until the thighs are all coated
5. Place floured chicken thighs on greased baking tray
6. Bake for 30 minutes and then flip thighs and bake for another 30 minutes
7. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients (except toasted sesame seeds) in a sauce pan
8. Allow sauce to boil for at least 5 minutes so it becomes thick.
9. When chicken is cooked, turn on broiler and glaze chicken pieces with sauce.
10. Broil for 1 minute and repeat the glaze (at least 2-3 times)
11. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and drizzle with remaining sauce
12. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

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