Hen's Hammock: Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs

Stuart and I were in Florida recently and stayed at Emerald Isle in mom and dad's condo. Iris and Mom came over one day for lunch and I made my Baked Spring Rolls and Spinach Egg Soup. I had to buy sweet chili sauce for the spring rolls so when I needed a dinner idea a couple of days later, I found a chicken recipe that called for sweet chili sauce. I figured it was a sign, so I made Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs for dinner at mom and dad's. Everyone loved it so I decided to work on the recipe a little and add and change things like I always do.

Last night I made it again for dinner for me and Stuart and it turned out perfect, if I say so myself! Here's a picture of the finished product:

I served it on a bed of quinoa and poured extra glaze on the top. The original recipe didn't have enough glaze so I've changed that. I also added some chipotle in adobo sauce to balance the sweetness. So, here's the recipe:
2-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 10 thighs)

Marinade:

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, about 2 large oranges

2 T. grated orange zest (zest from one of the oranges)

1 t. kosher or coarse sea salt

1 t. freshly cracked black pepper

2 T. basil leaves, cut into strips (chiffonade)

3 T. white balsamic vinegar

2-3 T. minced shallot (1 medium shallot)

1 T. celery seeds or celery flakes

NOTE: Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade for the glaze*

Combine the orange juice and the rest of the ingredients. Arrange chicken in an 8x8 glass baking dish or a dish where the thighs fit snuggly, cover with marinade (remember to reserve ¼ cup) and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, turning once.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Put the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet or pan large enough not to crowd the thighs. They are butterflied but fold the halves together to make them look like bone-in thighs. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, pour off excess moisture, and spoon glaze over each chicken piece (you will have glaze left over). Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve chicken pieces on a bed of quinoa. Pour excess glaze on top of chicken and quinoa.

Glaze:

1-2 T. olive oil

2 T. minced shallots (1 medium shallot)

1 T. minced ginger (about a 1” piece, with the peel cut off)

¾ cup orange marmalade

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce (find it on the Asian aisle)

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeds removed, minced fine

2 T. white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup reserved marinade

In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the shallots and ginger and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

*If you forget to reserve marinade, add orange juice to glaze.

Make sure you have a microplane to zest the orange. Citrus zest is the best way to give food a burst of flavor, but you have to make sure you use a microplane so that only the colored part of the peel is used. The white part underneath is bitter.