Tuesday 12 November 2013

Citrus chicken

Cooking on a weekday can be quite stressful especially after a long day at work. Some days I arrive home and head straight to the kitchen. I dump my handbag on the floor and start preparing dinner immediately.

Rice takes around 30 minutes to cook, so I always start with that. Then I prepare the protein, usually fish or chicken. I always have fresh shrimp or squid in the freezer which are perfect when I'm in a hurry. These thaw quickly and are delicious anyway you cook.

We always have lots of vegetables to go with our meals. They're such a cinch to prepare and are the least of my worries.

I usually marinate fresh chicken meat during the weekend and chuck them into the freezer so I can cook them slowly over the week. I had wanted to make provencal roasted chicken one night but realised I didn't have enough time to roast an entire chicken. It was already marinated with oregano and rosemary butter, and had completely thawed, so I had to cook it quickly.

I googled and found the perfect recipe - Citrus chicken. I cut the chicken up into smaller parts which cooked beautifully in under an hour and the result was delicious.

Here is my version of Citrus Chicken.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut into smaller parts. Marinate with salt and black pepper.
2 oranges
1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion
Handful of chopped up herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme or sage.
Salt and pepper

Method:
In a bowl, mix together the juice of one orange, one lemon, minced garlic, sugar and olive oil.
Arrange the chicken parts on a tray so that the skin side is facing the top. Pour the citrusy mixture over the chicken.
Cut the orange and onion into thin slices and tuck the around the chicken pieces.
Scatter the herbs over the chicken and sprinkle some salt and black pepper.
Place the tray into a preheated oven (around 200 degree celcius) and bake for about 45 minutes.

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