Double Crunch Orange Chicken

Love orange chicken? Our entire family immediately fell in love with this orange chicken version of our now famous double crunch fried chicken. That original recipe has been very, very popular in the honey garlic version previously featured on Rock Recipes.

You see, it’s not that we don’t like poultry (chicken or turkey), we just prefer it with LOTS of flavor and well… not dry.. but instead, juicy and moist!   Are you rolling your eyes at me? It’s okay, i get it. We’re stranger.

But I think you’ll prefer my method once we explain. Roasted chicken, like in a cranberry marinade or mixed into miso mango chicken wrap, yes, that DIVINE! That’s our preference. Or Chicken PHO .. OH YO, we likey!

And my husband, well, he’s a lamb and beef kind of guy. Plus he has nightmares from turkey leg and pumpkin incident from Thanksgiving a few year back. Needless to say, if he won’t eat pumpkin or turkey anymore. Haha, poor guy. Thanksgiving is not a fond memory of his.

I like to debone my own chicken breasts so that I can roast the bones and skins for stock later. I freeze them until I have enough to cover a baking sheet then use the instructions in my post on making Chicken Stock here.

A very delicious and spicy orange sauce clings to the super crunchy herb and spice infused crust for one incredible taste sensation. We served ours with Chinese noodles that were tossed in the same sauce for a really delicious dinner last night.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Lbs whole chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 oranges, juiced (or 1/4 c fresh orange juice). Extra sliced oranges for garnishing.
• 1/8 cup honey
• 1.5 tsp garlic (minced) or 3 cloves
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp onion salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste (extra for plating)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First clean your chicken and remove excess fat that. Place half an orange and thyme inside the chest. Tie the legs of roasted chicken together with string. Set aside
2. Cut another oranges into quarters. Squeeze the juice into a bowl but keep the oranges for later. (or you can use juice from bottled orange juice, just me sure to have extra orange – quartered and sliced for cooking)
3. Combine your juice, olive, oil, garlic, and honey, balsamic vinegar, and other remaining spices in one small bowl. Mix well.
4. Place Chicken in dutch oven on breast side down.  Pour juice and garlic and honey mixture over the chicken, coating it nicely and evenly around the chicken
5. Place oranges around chicken in the dutch oven.
6. Cook on medium heat covered for 25 minutes on stove.
7. While Chicken is on stove, Preheat oven to 450F for later use.
8. After 25 minutes on stove, flip the chicken over, skin side/breast up. Coat the sauce from the pan on top of the breast and around thighs. Add a few garnishes of thyme and orange slices on top of the breast.
9. Transfer the dutch oven pot with chicken into the oven uncovered and cook for another 25-27 minutes or until cooked through and skin is crispy. 165F. Check chicken after 10 minutes in oven, just to be safe.
10. Skin should be crispy on top.
11. Remove and spoon any extra juice from pot and coat it again over chicken.
12. Serve with veggies or salad!

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