After 17 months  of food blogging  I realised I need to get organised, sorting out the huge number of photos I have taken since Simon & I created taste2taste. There is only one person needed for this mammoth task – my family IT expert – Pete (my brother).  When the evenings start to get dark much earlier I turn to dishes that look & taste colourful, as a reminder of sunnier, warmer times. One favourite is my Mum’s orange chicken recipe which I have tweaked slightly with a bit of chilli & spice. Happy Thanksgiving to our friends & family in Canada tomorrow (10th October). This dish would make a good alternative to the traditional fare.

Ingredients (serves 2)

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken thighs ( or 2 chicken breasts, if you prefer)
• 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon of runny honey
• 1 clove of garlic, finely grated
• 1/2 inch or 1 cm piece of ginger, peeled & finely grated ( or 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger)
• 1/2 mild- medium hot red chilli,  sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 bayleaf
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, washed & leaves removed
• 2-3 tablespoons of chicken stock ( you can use a good quality stock cube)
• 1 teaspoon of raisins
• 1 teaspoon of toasted almond pieces
• sea salt & black pepper

Method

Chicken marinading

• Put the chicken into a small dish
• Cut the orange in half,  & with one  half grate the rind & squeeze the juice on to the chicken
• Add the lemon rind, honey, garlic, ginger, chilli, cinnamon, bayleaf & thyme
• Mix to coat the chicken
• Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight
  

  Marinaded chicken ready to grill/broil

• Heat your grill (broiler) to medium
• Drain off the marinade into a small saucepan  adding the chicken stock, salt & pepper
• Cook the marinade on a medium heat for 5 minutes to reduce & thicken the sauce
• With the other half of orange, slice & cut into segments & add to the sauce together with the raisins & keep warm on a low light whilst you cook the chicken
  

  Orange sauce ready

• Season chicken with salt & pepper
• Grill for 8-10 minutes each side ( depending how thick the pieces are)
• If using chicken breasts, I recommend flattening them out to ensure even cooking
• I do this by placing in a plastic bag & gently bashing using the end of a rolling pin
• Check the chicken is cooked right through

Serve the chicken with the sauce & a sprinkle of the toasted almonds on top. I love this dish with some

Ready to eat

basmati rice and steamed spinach but works just as well with a salad or your favourite veggies.

My Mum’s orange chicken – will brighten up any day or night!