Baked Orange Chicken Breast

I was unpacking the groceries when an old friend called to say he and his family were in town for the weekend; could they stop by? I told them to come over for dinner. That gave me some time to brainstorm what to do for dinner. What could I make that would be an almost universal crowd pleaser? Aah. Chicken breasts, baked with the fragrant sweetness of oranges. I even had some homemade orange marmalade in the fridge. Dinner was beginning to make itself.

The first order of business was to put the groceries away. Then I headed out to the garden to do the rest of my grocery “shopping,” scanning for what was ripe and ready to make as a side dish.

I was in luck. My French fingerling potatoes were producing well, so I tossed a bunch into a basket. I had tried growing Thumbelina carrots, and they popped out of the ground like little orange ping pong balls. This would be a fun dinner, with my homegrown vegetables roasted to perfection alongside the baked orange chicken breast.

It actually took me a little longer to prepare the potatoes and carrots than it did to make the chicken. The longest part was the marinating, but I had plenty to do while the chicken was soaking up that citrus flavor.

My friend and his family arrived, and we took a tour of the garden to pick some fresh lettuce while the chicken was cooking. There were no leftovers that night. Dinner was delicious, the company was delightful, and it felt great knowing that so much of dinner had come from my own garden.

If you have your own orange trees, and the timing is right, you could make this dinner with your homemade Orange Marmalade.

Put this recipe at the top of your list for a quick and easy way to make dinner for one, two, or a crowd. Remember, it doesn’t have to be difficult to make for it to be amazingly delicious.

Baked Orange Chicken Breast

Baked orange chicken breast is a simple yet elegant meal you can put together in under an hour. Serve with your favorite vegetables on the side. Don’t wait for company to come over; make this dinner for yourself!

• Author: Norann Oleson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Additional Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2
• Category: Entrées

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Instructions

1. Combine orange juice and soy sauce in a small bowl.
2. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch thick slices.
3. Put chicken in a shallow glass dish. Pour 1/4 cup marinade over the pieces. Turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
4. Refrigerate remaining marinade; you’ll use this later.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Remove chicken from the marinating dish and put into a baking dish lined with parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick spray. Discard the marinade that the chicken was in.
7. Pour the remaining fresh marinade over the chicken and toss to coat.
8. Spoon orange marmalade over the chicken.
9. Bake chicken, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear.

Have you tried this recipe? It tastes like it was much more work than it really was—please tell us how it turned out for you.