Recipe #43 - Roasted Chicken Breast with Orange Marmalade

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There are three parts to this recipe: the chicken, the marmalade, and the lettuce.

For the chicken:

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil to a large skillet and set to medium-high heat. Once heated, place the chicken breasts in the skillet. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes or until about half way done.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and place in a 9x12" pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place a glass dish or heavy pan on top. Place into oven. Cook until skin is golden brown - about 5-8 minutes on each side. 

For the marmalade:

Rinse the oranges and scrub off any excesses dirt. Place on a flat surface and slice into thin rounds, discarding the ends. Avoid the center if heavily pitted. 

Measure the honey directly into a heated medium skillet over low heat until the it melts. Add orange rounds and bring mix to a boil. Add and sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste. Add the juice of the lemon and vanilla. Stir to blend. Stir for an additional 2 minutes or until the oranges fall apart, then transfer to a bowl to cool.

For the wilted romaine:

In a large skillet, heat the butter and add the garlic over medium heat. Cook until fragrant and add the romaine one or two pieces at a time. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Use a wooden spoon and stir to blend for an additional minute. Remove from heat and drain any additional liquid. Add a few squirts of lemon and serve with chicken.

Place a leaf or two of the romaine in a plate. Add chicken and top with the orange marmalade.

A couple things I would have done differently:

-Instead of using whole orange wheels, I would cut them up into fourths or smaller. They peels didn't fall apart as I had expected. 

-I would cook the marmalade a little longer until the orange peels became softer.

-I didn't brown the chicken as long as I should have, so I would have cooked them a bit longer.

-I would have cut up the romaine and added a leaf or two more. It looked nice for the presentation, but made it hard to consume.

However, all that aside, the marmalade paired perfectly with the chicken to give it citrusy, fresh, summer taste. It was definitely not something I have every tasted before. The garlic romaine lettuce grounded the chicken so that the citrus wasn't overwhelming. 

Rating: 5

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

5 chicken breasts

Salt & pepper

2-3 tablespoons olive oil 

12-16 ounces orange marmalade 

Wilted romaine

For the marmalade:

5 oranges or tangerines, washed and dried

1/2 cup honey

Salt & pepper

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons vanilla extra

For the wilted romaine:

2 tablespoons butter

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 head of romaine lettuce, wash and dried, leaves picked

Salt & pepper

1 lemon, halved