A Month-of-Mediterranean: Orange Chicken with Crispy Green Beans

Okay, so this has some sugar. And, as we know, we are trying to limit sugar while eating in the Med-Diet style. But, sometimes, a dish is so tasty that it is worth it. In fact, as you read the ingredients list, can’t you just imagine the bursts of varied flavors?

And, sugar once in a while is not the problem. It’s the regular consumption of bad fats and sugar and processed foods that will get you. In this recipe, the Mediterranean Diet principles are adhered to with the exception of the orange marmalade. But if it bothers you, just skip this one.

I make a similar marinade/sauce for our grillled pork tenderloin. Fruit and pork just go together, but we don’t usually think of chicken with fruit. Sometimes, but not usually.

I pretty much followed the recipe from the “My Recipes” site, with just a few modifications. I did halve the recipe since we weren’t having company, and the original served eight people. I used olive oil not canola. I didn’t cook the orange sauce before using. I added more or less of the sauce ingredients to fit our taste. Also, I didn’t use the chili-garlic sauce on the beans as called for in the original recipe. I brushed on the orange glaze instead. Hmm. I guess I did make quite a few changes.

Next time I’ll only use the chili-garlic sauce and brush it on both the chicken and the beans. And then a THIRD time I’ll do the original recipe with both orange-glaze and chili garlic. And maybe a fourth time, I’ll mix them together for both chicken and beans. And maybe a fifth time . . . well, that’s just the way my brain works. Below is my first modified recipe.

Orange Chicken Crispy Green Beans (serve 4)

4 chicken thighs

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon hot mustard

½ teaspoon sesame oil

Salt and pepper

8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub chicken thighs with olive oil and place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 

Wash and trim the beans.

Bake chicken for about 35 minutes (meat thermometer 165 degrees).

While chicken is baking, mix together marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot mustard, and sesame oil. Reserve a tablespoon of the sauce in a separate small bowl. Brush ½ the remaining sauce on the

green beans.

Remove chicken pan from oven and put beans on all sides. Using the remaining sauce from the green beans brush it on both tops and bottoms of the chicken. Sprinkle on more salt and pepper on green beans and on glazed chicken.

Put the oven on broil (500 degrees) and return baking pan to oven. Broil about three minutes to get beans tender and a nice brown crust on the chicken.

Serve the reserved sauce alongside to put on plated chicken.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up

“Put this into the rotation!” I agree. This is a company-worthy chicken dish. Tons of flavor that gives chicken, as DH said, “a distinctive taste.”