Tangerine Chicken – Recipe!

Tangerine season has just begun and if you haven’t noticed the over abundance of these wonderful citrus gems at your farmer’s market or local grocery store, you haven’t been shopping enough.  Tangerines come in a many varieties, from the cases of miniature Cuties you see at the front of every store to Satsumas, with their wrinkled skin that is easy to pull away from its juicy flesh.

Tangerines are different than oranges, they tend to have a gentler sweet taste and these fruits are nice to add to protein, for a sweet & savory one-skillet meal like this one.  Adding sliced tangerines to chicken thighs provides a natural tenderizer, not to mention a hint of tang to the pan for a divine pan sauce.

After finishing roasting in the oven, the chicken and tangerines become deep and caramelized – they taste similar to candied orange peel, but without the granulated sugar part.  The additional squeeze of juice added to the pan after the chicken and tangerines are removed, adds a another punch of flavor and a pat of butter brings the sauce all together like the perfect symphony.

This recipe is easy to prepare and doesn’t require many ingredients, which makes it great for weeknight meals or entertaining on the weekends.  I like to serve this dish with roasted broccoli to add a little green to the plate and a side of wild rice would be exceptional as well.

Ingredients

3-4 bone-in with skin chicken thighs

1 large tangerine or 2 small

2 tablespoons all purpose flour or gluten-free flour

1 small shallot, minced

2 tablespoons butter, divided

salt & pepper

vegetable oil

(Serves 2-4)

 

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove chicken from packaging and sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour.
2. In a large oven-proof skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and 2 teaspoons oil, place over medium-high heat.  After 2 minutes, add chicken skin-side down.  Sear skin for 3-4 minutes, or until light golden brown, flip chicken over.
3. Slice tangerine in half, reserving one half for sauce.  Slice other half into slices.  Add slices to pan with chicken.
4. Place pan in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.  Remove chicken and tangerine slices and place on a serving plate.
5. Add shallots to pan with chicken juices and place over medium heat.  Cook for 1 minute and squeeze in remaining tangerine juice, stir and cook for 1 minute.
6. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.  Enjoy!