Orange glazed chicken breasts full of fresh citrus flavor that's not too sweet and coats the chicken beautifully for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
1½cupsorange juice, plus 2 tablespoons (regular O.J. from the grocery works fine)
⅓cuplight corn syrup
3tablespoonshoney
1tablespoonDijon mustard
1tablespoonwhite vinegar
⅛teaspooncrushed red pepper, or more, I like heat with my sweet
Kosher salt and pepper
½cupall purpose flour
4bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves, trimmed of excess fat and skin
2teaspoonsvegetable oil
1medium shallot, minced
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º. In medium bowl, whisk first 6 ingredients until combined. Season with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
Place flour in a pie plate, season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and then coat chicken in flour, one piece at a time, shaking off excess flour.
Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet until shimmering. Add chicken, skin-side down, and brown well, about 10 minutes. Lightly brown other side, about 5 more minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.
Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat and add the minced shallot and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high and add the orange juice mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to 1 cup, 6 - 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Tilt pan a little bit and use tongs to coat each chicken breast in the pooled glaze. Arrange chicken skin-side down in pan.
Transfer to oven and bake chicken until done, about 25 to 30 minutes, turning chicken skin-side up halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to serving platter and let rest 5 minutes. Return skillet to high heat - BE CAREFUL, HANDLE WILL BE HOT - and cook glaze until thick and syrupy, stirring constantly, about a minute. A heatproof spatula should leave a wide trail when dragged through the glaze. Remove pan from heat and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Spoon a little glaze over each chicken breast and serve the rest on the side and/or over rice.
Notes
I think this sauce pairs so well with rice. You could also serve the chicken with potatoes or pasta.