I cooked: Chicken a l'Orange with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions

So, if you remember, during the run-up to Blogger MasterChef, I spent a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen. I've never eaten chicken a l'Orange before, but I have had duck a l'orange (which I like). Was browsing through Delia Smith's cookbook and found a recipe for orange sauce so decided to it with chicken. 

For this dish, if you know how to make sauces, the rest is pretty simple. For this dish, I decided to pan fry the chicken (simple!) and serve it with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions. I was quite happy with the result, but if you prefer your chicken to be more moist, do swap for chicken thigh. Do be liberal with the sauce, the more the better I think. :)

Chicken a l'Orange with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 chicken breast, butterflied cut or sliced thinly

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp paprika

Freshly ground salt and pepper

2-3 tbsp plain flour

Parsley, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

For the sauteed potatoes

5-6 potatoes (I used Russet), peeled and sliced thinly abt 8mm width

Freshly ground salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

Butter

For the caramelised onions

1 large onion, sliced thinly

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp butter

For the sauce

2 medium sized orange

1 tbsp plain flour

275ml chicken stock

2 tsp brown sugar (you can omit the sugar if your oranges are sweet)

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Start by caramelising the onions first, since this takes the longest time. In a frying pan, melt the butter and then add the onions and honey, cooking and stirring continuously for 30-35 minutes. 

2. Marinate the chicken with oyster sauce, parsley and 1 tbsp of olive oil for about 15-20 minutes. 

3. While waiting, parboil the potatoes in salted boiling water. This will take about 8-10 minutes. Drain in colander and let them dry out for a crisper texture when frying them later. 

4. In a non-stick frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Place plain flour and paprika on a flat plate and season with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with the beaten egg, followed by the flour mixture and place in the heated pan. Cook each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat for all pieces of chicken.

5. For the sauteed potatoes, add 2 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan on medium high heat and then add the crushed garlic. Add the potatoes and cook them until golden brown (this will take about 10-15 minutes) and then season with salt and pepper. Towards the end of cooking, add a knob of butter for crispier skin. 

6. Finally, for the sauce, remove the rind from the oranges and cut them up into thin shreds and blanch them for 5 minutes in boiling water. Cut 4 slices of oranges and keep aside for garnish. Squeeze the juices out of the remaining oranges. Using the same pan used to cook the chicken (don't wash), sprinkle flour and stir to form a paste. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to brown slightly, then add stock gradually to make a smooth sauce, then add the sugar. Cook for another minute before adding the orange juice and rind and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

7. To serve, place sauteed potatoes on a plate and then top it with the pan fried chicken. Drizzle with lots of orange sauce. Place a small portion of caramelised onion at the side and garnish with 2 slices of orange. 

 A sweet and savoury dish

Chicken a l'orange with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions

Full set of photos available to view here.