More #quarantinekitchen challenges and more reasons to write recipes! I’ve been challenged by Chef @sarah_nashaat_5 and @mariamhamdy to take part in the #quarantine_pantry_challenge which was originated by @dinewithdeenuh and @lightyourovens on Instagram.

As soon as I knew that oranges and chicken were on the list, I figured out that I had to share my Orange Glazed Chicken recipe. This dish is a bit of an Asian twist on the French ‘Canard a l’orange’. I use soy sauce and ginger for an extra punch of flavor from the Asian profile and serve the chicken with some steamed rice for a marvelous balance in every mouthful. I did struggle with adding something green or fresh to this recipe, but I figured that it really need a pungent aromatic herb mixture to cut through the richness. I found that herbs, nuts and olive oil were in the pantry ingredients and an avocado puree to bind that pesto in a spreadable consistency seemed to be just perfect!

Let’s go over the ingredients:

• For the chicken
  • 2 whole chicken legs
  • 1 orange, juiced and zested
  • 150ml chicken stock
  • 50g onion, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 15g ginger, minced or grated
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • Toasted white sesame seeds for garnish
  • Finely sliced scallions for garnish
  • Candied orange peel for garnish
  • Cooking oil

• For the Avo-pesto
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • Couple sprigs of parsley
  • Couple sprigs of cilantro
  • Some celery leaves (1 stalk)
  • 15g Walnuts
  • 15g Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • Salt & pepper

• 1 1/2 cups of steamed rice to serve

• First, season the chicken legs with some salt and pepper and sear them skin-side-down in a very hot, deep pot. Once they have colored nicely, briefly sear them on the bottom side and then set aside.
• Use the fat in the pot to sautee the onion, garlic and ginger. As soon as the aroma grows stronger, add the orange zest and return the chicken to the pot, skin-side-up.
• Add the orange juice, chicken stock, soy sauce and sugar to the pot and lower the heat as soon the liquid comes to a boil. Simmer on medium low heat for half an hour. It’s best to use a lid in this case but make sure that you don’t close it all the way in order to allow the sauce to reduce.
• Let’s get the Avo-pesto going while our chicken cooks. Make sure your herbs are clean and try to use more leaves than stems.
• Add all the Avo-pesto ingredients to a small food processor along with half the amount of olive oil. Process until smooth and nicely emulsified. Add the rest of the olive oil, little at a time as needed. Set aside.
• Once the sauce has reduced and started to thicken, flip the chicken legs skin-side-down to continue to glaze the surface of the skin.
• Make sure the chicken is cooked through and that the sauce is thick and shiny.
• Serve with the steamed rice and a dollop of the Avo-pesto.
• Enjoy!