Crispy Chicken with Orange Ginger Sauce

Do you have a favourite grocery store?

I know I do. And the interesting things is, the more I've gotten into food - learning how to work with fresh ingredients and interesting flavour combinations - my taste in grocery stores has changed.

Where once I favoured the large markets filled with generic items and bulk goods, I now like to get my shop on at a locally owned grocery store where an abundance of produce, meat, and dairy, can be found from from our local farmers.

I won't lie.

I pay more to shop the way I do.

But I've come to the point in my love affair with flavour to believe that you get what you pay for. Besides, there are better things to skimp on - like not eating in fast food restaurants or paying $5.00 for a cup of coffee when you can grind your beans and brew at home.

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I spent the afternoon in foodie heaven. Roaming the meat and produce aisles envisioning the kinds of meals I could create with the Pacific salmon, prawns, greens, cheeses, and free range eggs that were in abundance.

And then I began to think about dinner.

It was a grey drizzly day here on the west coast - a day that needed some brightening with, perhaps, a little citrus.

As I walked through the poultry aisle, I spotted bone in, skin on chicken breasts, and began formulating a crispy skinned chicken dish with some kind of Asian inspired orange sauce.

Mmmmmm...

And the more I thought about it, the hungrier I got.

So that by the time I arrived home, I set to cooking!

I have to admit, as a novice recipe creator I am really quite proud of this one - and the secret is most definitely in the sauce which was not only absolutely delicious, it could be served alongside any Asian inspired chicken dish.

Here's what I did...

I preheated the oven to 350 and then created a rub for the chicken using:

1 tsp good quality salt
1 tsp salt free lemon pepper
1/2 tsp five spice powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Rub the chicken on both sides with about a half tsp of spice rub per breast. (use as much or as little to suit your tastes)

Place chicken skin side up in a shallow roasting pan on a roasting rack in a 350 oven for app 45 minutes to one hour. Chicken breasts should be an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

While the chicken roasted, I made the sauce:

To make sauce:

Gently heat 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 tbsp minced ginger in one tbsp butter
Add 1 tbsp brown sugar and stir well to incorporate.

To that add

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup orange juice
pinch of salt to taste

Stir well over medium heat and then mix 1 additional tbsp orange juice with one tbsp cornstarch in a separate dish. Add to the pot. Heat and stir until thickened.

When the chicken came out of the oven I re-set the heat to broil and then put the breasts under the broiler for about a minute. Watch carefully so chicken doesn't burn - this will give the skin a nice crispness.

To serve, place a generous ladle of sauce on plate, place the chicken on top, and drizzle with a little more suce. Accompany with jasmine rice that is garnished with scallions, roasted unsalted cashews, and a tbsp of sauce.

Enjoy!

For PRINTABLE RECIPE click HERE

Creating everyday magic in the kitchen is a great way to look after yourself, unwind, and enjoy wonderful flavours with friends and family.

Until next time...

Boo!

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Author:

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.