Chicken with Rosemary and Orange Sauce
Picture Perfect
Chicken with Rosemary and Orange Sauce | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
Some food tastes good, but it just doesn’t look as tasty as it is. Lots of brown food falls into that category. Some green soups, too.
Then there are some foods that look great, but only when prepared with proper technique. Perhaps you bake a lovely cake but your frosting is a little runny and the cake ends up lopsided. Or the onions you caramelize refuse to turn brown and lack visual oomph. Or, my nemesis, your chicken doesn’t have a good sear.
I have used the broiler on more than one occasion to compensate for my inability to achieve a good pan sear on a chicken. Which is exactly what I did when I made this recipe for Chicken with Rosemary and Orange Sauce from “The New African-American Kitchen” by Angela Shelf Medearis, published by Lake Isle Press. After my first attempt to sear, the chicken breasts were just too pale; definitely not ready for their close-up. I put them in the sauce, but I knew my photo would suffer, so I removed one from the sauce, popped it under the broiler, then returned it to the sauce. Voila. After finishing it in the sauce, I took the picture and stashed the leftovers in the fridge.
But my searing deficiency nagged at me. I knew enough to dry the chicken before starting the sear, but figured I was too timid about starting with a hot pan. I decided to see if I could rescue my leftovers. I dried off one of my anemic chicken breasts and added some vegetable oil to a skillet and turned up the heat; when the oil sizzled, I added the chicken breast. Bingo. At last, I have upped my searing technique.
Of course, it’s not just about appearances. Searing adds flavor and texture to meat, and that is a good thing. Especially for this recipe, which is so very easy, but with a proper sear is elegant enough for company.
I added fresh orange juice to the zest for the sauce, and seasoned the breasts as directed with dried rosemary, salt and pepper. Even though I didn’t get a great sear at first there were still lots of brown bits in the pan, so after pouring off the grease I deglazed it with a touch of vermouth before adding the orange juice and zest. I added some fresh rosemary to gussy it up when plated.
This chicken pairs beautifully with green beans, which were all the better topped with a little orange sauce. When I served the newly seared leftovers I added some jasmine rice along with the beans, and the sauce added a nice flavor to the rice, as well.
I began cooking and writing about recipes from our cookbooks as a way to explore unfamiliar ingredients and cuisines and help me sharpen my cooking skills. What I didn’t count on was how much fun taking the pictures of the plated dishes would be, and what it would teach me about making food look as good as it tastes. If I hadn’t wanted to post a picture of this chicken, I probably wouldn’t have addressed my searing deficiency. Maybe it’s time to tackle a pie crust.
Chicken with Rosemary and Orange Sauce
Yield: 6 servings
Click here for printable recipe.
INGREDIENTS
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
¾ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
PREPARATION
Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, and rosemary. In a skillet over moderate heat, heat the oil until hot but not smoking and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate; pour off the fat in the skillet and discard.
In the skillet, combine the orange juice and zest and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is done and the sauce has thickened.
From “The New African-American Kitchen” by Angela Shelf Medearis, Lake Isle Press, 2008
Chicken With Rosemary and Orange Sauce
from “The New African-American Kitchen”
by Angela Shelf Medearis (The Kitchen Diva!)
Lake Isle Press, 2008
Chef, author, and culinary historian Angela Shelf Medearis, also known as the Kitchen Diva, presents a compilation of over 200 traditional recipes with African-American roots. These authentic recipes originated in slave quarters, plantations, church suppers, and inter-generational family kitchens. With dishes from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, The New African-American Kitchen presents each recipe with its cultural context, and includes incisive overviews of the African kitchen and the roots of soul cooking, Caribbean culinary history, and the contributions to America’s culinary heritage made by slave cooks. Published in 2008, The New African-American Kitchen deepens our understanding of the rich Black culinary traditions that continue to shape American and global cuisine.
ALSO FROM “THE NEW AFRICAN-AMERICAN KITCHEN”
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Caribbean Chicken Stir-Fry
East African Sweet Potato Pudding
Orange Bread
South African Cucumber and Chile Salad