Sticky Orange Roast Chicken with Fennel and Onions

Those of you who have been following The kitchen Witch for awhile know I'm absolutely crazy about Sunday Dinner. When I was growing up, no matter what was going on the rest of the week, I always knew Sunday dinner was something I could count on as both an ending and a beginning.

We'd sit in the dining room around a large table with family and friends over dishes like roast beef, mashed potatoes, yorkshire pudding, and gravy and I would feel a sense of gratitude for the week just ending along with a sense of excitement for the one about to begin.

It's a tradition I've kept alive in my family and although my son now lives too far away from home to attend Sunday dinner often, my parents often join us around the table and there is always room for friends.

Tender chicken is roasted with oranges and fennel and glazed in a sticky marmalade sauce.

That said, to my mind Sunday dinner is about very specific kinds of dishes. It's comfort food taken to the next level. Eaten off the good china with a glass of wine, Chopin playing softly in the background, Sunday dinner needs to be easy enough to put together with very little stress, but elegant enough to mark Sunday evening as a special occasion because I don't think we do that enough anymore. If you can't make it happen every night, making sure to have a wonderful sit down meal on Sundays will be something to look forward to and is a beautiful way to get caught up with your family and friends while you set the tone for the week ahead.

It's also a great time to get creative in the kitchen with old classics - like today's recipe for Sticky Orange Roast Chicken with Fennel and Onions - a recipe I came up with because I'm crazy about the flavours of orange, fennel, and slow roasted chicken coming together.

This is one of those meals that makes the whole house smell good, and especially at this time of year, harkens feelings of comfort and well being. So light a fire in the hearth, pull out some candles, and gather everyone around your Sunday table for a weekly feast. And if you try this recipe, please let me know! I love hearing from people who have tried my food!

As well, be sure to subscribe to follow this blog, and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube. I upload new recipe blog and video every week week! 

Visit the printable recipe here: Sticky Orange Roast Chicken with Fennel and Onions

Or cook along with me at the Casa de Kitchen Witch on Youtube!


 

Sticky Orange Roast Chicken
 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Roasting Time: 2 1/2 - 3 hours
Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1, 3-5 pound roast chicken
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fennel bulbs thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• 5 cloves garlic
• zest from one orange
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 orange, quartered, and then halved
• 1 medium onion, quartered (to stuff into the cavity)
• 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds

Sticky Marmalade Glaze

• 1 cup plus 1 tbsp chicken stock
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Directions 

1. Drizzle the olive oil into a roasting pan and then toss in the sliced fennel, and sliced onion.
2. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, 1 tsp herbes de provence, the orange zest, and the 5 garlic cloves. Toss well.
3. Mix together a seasoning blend with the remaining salt, pepper, herbs de provence and the garlic powder. 
4. Sprinkle the inside cavity of the chicken with 1 tsp of the seasoning blend and then stuff with the quartered onion and orange. 
5. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with the remaining seasoning blend and place onto a roasting rack above the fennel and onions. 
6. Roast uncovered in a 325 degree oven while you make the glaze.
7. To make the glaze, melt the marmalade into 1 cup of chicken stock in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and add the thyme and vinegar. Let boil 5 minutes until it reduces slightly. Add the cornstarch to the remaining tbsp of chicken stock to make a slurry and add to the glaze. Stir until slightly thickened and then turn to low.
8. Remove the chicken from the oven after it's roasted an hour, lift the rack off the fennel and onions and give them a good toss. You will do this periodically (about every 20 minutes or so) until the chicken is cooked. The idea is to get the fennel and onions nice and brown and caramelized as they will act as a substitute for gravy. 
9. During the last 30 minutes of roasting, glaze the chicken every 10 minutes or so with the sticky marmalade sauce.
10.  Roast for 2-3 hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. 
11. Slice. Serve the chicken over a bed of the fennel and onion, drizzle with the remaining glaze, and sprinkle with sliced toasted almonds.

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, a former website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada, the $20,000.00 winner of the online competition "The Real Women of Philadelphia" and a finalist on the Food Network Canada show Recipe to Riches. 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.