Island Citrus Chicken

By ChisCooking

The tangy hints of orange in this marinated, island-inspired
dish will excite the senses and enliven any celebration.

Ingredients

• Perfect for 5 1/2 Qt. Round Oven - Serves 8
• 8 chicken leg quarters, skinned
• and divided into 2 pieces
• 1/2 lb (225 g) shallots, peeled
• and left whole
• 1 garlic clove, sliced very thinly
• 4 stalks celery, cut into ¹/2 -inch
• (1 cm) slices
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine
• 3 large oranges
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup (250 ml) hot chicken stock
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Details

Adapted from lecreuset.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place the chicken, shallots, sliced garlic, celery, bay leaves, fresh thyme, maple syrup and white wine into the Le Creuset 5¹/2-quart Round French Oven. Add the zest of the oranges, stir well, cover and chill overnight.

Drain the chicken and vegetables through a colander, reserving the marinade, and pat excess moisture from the chicken.

Rinse and dry the French oven.

Heat the oil in the French oven and brown the chicken and vegetables in batches. Add the marinade and stock, and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and transfer to a 275°F oven for around 2 hours or until the chicken is very tender.

Peel and remove the white pith layer from two oranges, then cut these oranges into thick slices. Squeeze the juice from the third and blend with cornstarch and cream. Transfer the French oven to a burner on low heat, add the blended juice and stir until the sauce is thickened. Arrange the chicken with orange slices around the top.
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