Orange rosemary chicken

This orange rosemary chicken is an easy, comforting dish that's quick to prepare and with lovely light, aromatic flavors. A tasty mix of gently sweet and herby, it's perfect for any occasion.

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I have always been a big citrus fan - there's something so bright and fresh about pretty much all varieties. Lemon is probably the one I turn to the most, both for sweet and savory, but orange can add a lovely flavor too.

The one challenge with orange as a flavor, especially compared to lemon, is that it can tend to get lost. Don't get me wrong, it can be a great addition in the mix, such as in lechon asado, Cuban roast pork (which typically uses sour oranges, but you can mix orange with other citrus) or carne asada, Mexican marinated & grilled beef.

But if you want an orangey-orange flavor? That can be a little trickier. The flavor is not as strong, and so often you can only just tell it is there by the time you have finished cooking. And sometimes not really at all.

Orange does have a few flavor friends, though, that help to bring out the best in it. Chocolate is probably one of the best known of those, but rosemary also pairs really well.

This dish uses that simple combination and adds just a couple extra flavors for easy, juicy, flavorful chicken. The orange flavor is still relatively mild, as you might expect, but it's most definitely 'there' and delicious with it.

Tips for making orange rosemary chicken

This dish is really easy to make, as you simply mix up the marinade ingredients, add the chicken, and leave it for a little while to soak up the flavor.

Since there is a reasonable amount of acidity in the marinade, due to the orange juice, you don't want to leave the chicken in the marinade too long as it can impact the texture of the meat. Around 2 hours is good, though it could take a slightly longer if that suits your schedule better.

Here I roasted the chicken, which I find great for keeping as much of the flavor as possible. The chicken juices mix with the marinade (which also cooks, which is important) to give a lovely sauce for serving.

However, you could also grill, broil or pan-fry the chicken if you prefer. If you do, I suggest simmering the leftover marinade a few minutes, so that it is safe to use, and then use as a sauce. It's worth having all that yummy flavor! If needed, add a little extra orange juice if it seems there isn't enough liquid.

I like it served with rice so that the rice can soak in the sauce flavors, but it would work with other sides, too.

This orange rosemary chicken is so easy to make, with bright and tasty flavors. It has a little sweet, a little savory and is delicious whenever you choose to enjoy.

Try these other tasty chicken recipes:

• Chicken saltimbocca - one of our favorites, with prosciutto and sage
• Aji de gallina - Peruvian chicken with a smooth, gently spiced sauce
• Musakhan - another comforting dish, with sumac and meltingly tasty onions
• Chicken Balmoral - a comforting Scottish dish of haggis stuffed chicken
• Plus get more main course recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

This post was first shared in July 2016 and has been updated, with some tweaks to the recipe and new photos and information.

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