Description
Succulent orange spice chicken combines zesty citrus with warming spices for a memorable meal. Crisp herbs and tender meat create a delightful dining experience you’ll savor with each delectable bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 large navel orange (sliced into 0.33-inch thick slices)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) butter (melted)
- 1 scallion snipped or chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp dried dill weed
- 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preparation Setup: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C) and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish, arranging chicken pieces in a single layer without overlapping.
- Spice Blend Creation: Combine ground spices, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, thoroughly mixing to develop a robust seasoning profile.
- Initial Seasoning: Brush chicken with melted butter, generously apply about 80% of the spice mixture, ensuring complete and even coverage across all pieces.
- Flavor Layering: Distribute minced garlic uniformly over the seasoned chicken, then artfully arrange fresh orange slices atop each piece. Dust the remaining spice blend over the oranges to intensify the aromatic experience.
- Roasting and Finishing: Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). After removing from oven, allow a 5-minute resting period to ensure juices redistribute. Drizzle pan drippings over the chicken and garnish with thinly sliced green onions, presenting the roasted orange slices as a complementary accompaniment.
Notes
- Optimize Spice Coating: Apply spice blend generously but unevenly for complex flavor layers, ensuring some parts of chicken have more intense seasoning.
- Temperature Precision Matters: Use a reliable meat thermometer to guarantee chicken reaches exact 165°F, preventing dryness or potential foodborne illness.
- Resting Period is Crucial: Allow chicken to rest exactly 5 minutes after cooking, which helps retain moisture and enables natural juice redistribution throughout the meat.
- Orange Slice Strategy: Roasted orange slices aren’t just decoration – they infuse additional citrus essence and can be eaten alongside the chicken for enhanced taste experience.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 70mg