This chicken was a bit of a happy accident, I had chicken and an orange that both needed to be eaten, so I combined them. I didn’t want anything too sweet, so I balanced the orange with a bit of paprika and mustard, and just a touch of cayenne. The result was a chicken with just a hint of orange sweetness, and a bit of spice. I basted the chicken every 15 minutes or so while it baked, so the chicken remained juicy. It also created a slight glaze on the top. If you wanted to make extras, this chicken would be perfect on top of a salad that has mandarin oranges in it.

Baked Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, about 1 orange
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp orange zest // Remember to zest your orange before you squeeze it
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a greased baking dish.
3. In a bowl, combine the orange juice, oil, and spices. Stir well to combine.
4. Pour over the top of the chicken.
5. Place in oven and bake basting every 15 minutes or so.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees. Let sit for 5 minutes, and serve.