Date Glazed Orange Chicken – Sweet, Flavorful Recipe for
Orange-Marinated Roasted Chicken Glazed with Date Honey
A couple of weeks ago I posted a recipe for date honey syrup, known in the Middle East as silan. It’s a fantastic condiment that can add a ton of flavor to your cooking. Many of you asked for some recipe ideas incorporating date honey. This Date Glazed Orange Chicken is a delicious example of how date honey can take a dish from tasty to “holy wow, amazing!”
Dates and oranges go together like “peas and carrots,” as Forrest Gump would say. Here I’ve marinated chicken in freshly squeezed orange juice with hot sauce, mustard and thyme to give the chicken a depth of flavor. It’s not at all spicy; the hot sauce and mustard give the chicken a nice robust flavor, but it’s not overpowering. Then, during roasting, I basted the chicken with multiple layers of date honey to create a brown, bubbly, sticky skin. The combination of citrus, thyme and date flavors is truly unique, and the presentation with fresh orange rounds and thyme is so pretty. I’m thinking this would make a really fabulous Rosh Hashanah entree!
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Date Glazed Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 large chicken pieces, bone in, skin on I prefer leg/thigh quarters
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons mustard Dijon or yellow
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 bunch fresh thyme divided
- 3 large navel oranges divided
- 2/3 cup date honey syrup
NOTES
Instructions
- If using chicken leg quarters, I generally like to remove the "knuckle" end of the drumstick bone before cooking. It makes for a more elegant presentation on the dinner table. To do this, use a sharp chef's knife to carefully slice around the bottom knuckle of the bone, cutting through the skin and tendons. Then, grasp the cartilage area with a towel and pull strongly, twisting to remove it, and discard. FYI, this may take some practice and a bit of elbow grease. Be very careful with the knife when you are making the slice around the bone-- you don't want to slip!
- Whisk together orange juice, hot sauce, 3 tbsp olive oil, mustard, orange zest, 1/2 tsp salt and pinch of black pepper to form a marinade. Place chicken pieces into a plastic zipper bag or into a ceramic or glass dish. Pour marinade over the chicken and add 6-8 sprigs of thyme. Seal the bag (if using) or cover the dish with plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 3 hours, up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Remove chicken from marinade and discard the excess marinade. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken pieces skin side down, three pieces at a time, and let them cook for 5-10 minutes until the skin is nicely browned. Remove from skillet and repeat with remaining 3 pieces. Remove the skillet from heat.
- Lightly grease a roasting pan or dish. Slice two of the large navel oranges into rounds and lay them on a single layer, covering the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle some thyme sprigs into the bottom of the roasting pan as well (reserve some for the final platter/garnish).
- Place the chicken back into the pan, skin side up. Brush each piece generously with date honey.Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes, basting the chicken every 15 minutes with more date honey.
- After 45 minutes the chicken should be cooked through and internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees F (I usually cook it to 170). If not, re-cover and continue to cook until it reaches temperature.Uncover the chicken. Baste once more with remaining date honey. increase heat to 500 degrees F and cook for 5-10 more minutes until the date glaze is bubbly and shiny. Keep a close eye to make sure the glaze doesn't burn, it contains a lot of natural sugar and will blacken if you're not careful.
- Slice up the remaining orange. Serve each piece of chicken garnished with a fresh orange slice and fresh thyme sprigs.
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
This is such a beautiful dish!
Carol Heston says
Yum!
Lauren לורין Treiber Varod says
Do you know where to buy Israeli silan (without added sugar) in the United States?
Tori Avey says
Lauren לורין Treiber Varod make it yourself, it’s easy. 🙂 Here’s the recipe: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/date-honey-syrup-silan/
Helen Mamrosh says
Looks so good
Angela Travers says
Looks very yummy!
Shelley Juskowitz Drujak says
I’m making this for yom tov for sure. Thank you
Shelley Juskowitz Drujak says
What can be done with the remains if the dates if anything
Jonathan Howard Smith says
Was trying to decide how to make my meal on Wed. THX!!!
Anna Lentz Carpenter says
Shouldn’t you be napping after that awesome dinner you cooked yesterday?
Ira Cord Rubnitz says
Done! You are brilliant!!!
Susan Rose says
Looks gorgeous, and sounds like a very tasty centerpiece for a Rosh Hashanah feast!
Sarah Meghan says
That glaze would go wonderfully on quail, is that something you eat?
Elizabeth Holt says
Looks relish!
Judi Frankel says
I think that I will make that for the High Holidays!
Lainie Blum Cogan says
Tori, I love you
Diane Hall says
Yummmm
Deborah Hobbs says
sounds like a perfect marinade
Mardi Tan says
Looks delicious!
Nettie Annette Snape says
Sounds divine…..
Robin Becker says
Yummy! Shabbot chicken dinner! Winner Winner! Enjoy your special evening!