When it is cold and getting nasty outside. There is not much better in the world then coming home to the smell of something wonderful roasting in the oven. Like blood oranges and rosemary. They are so beautiful together. Oh, and that smell it just warms you up from deep inside your bones. It’s great for a wonderful pick me up on the coldest of winter days. This recipe is beautiful for company or a family weeknight evening because it is so quick and easy to make.There are only three ingredients blood oranges, chicken thighs and rosemary. Five if you include pink salt and olive oil.
Read on
The first ingredient is blood oranges. This citrus fruit is gorgeous in color and wonderfully delicious. Super vibrant and is available in New England from November to late February. They are excellent to cook with because of their sweet flavor and, in the winter, all that vitamin C helps keep you healthy in those dark months.
The second ingredient is rosemary. Rosemary is very hearty. It can grow almost anywhere. I’ve seen it live outside into the beginning of cold of winter. Some people prune it into topiary shapes even. Rosemary is a great flavor to add to just about anything it’s very versatile. There is something so sweet and almost sharp about it that makes its’ yummy flavor shine through.
The next is boneless skinless chicken thighs. I must admit I’m not the biggest poultry fan but, there is something about chicken thighs that make them the exception. Their dark meat is just really juicy when you roast it. I tend to use chicken thighs for almost all of my chicken dishes. Aside from the deepness of flavor they are also less expensive then their more famous parts of the same bird being the breast.
The first step is to rinse the thighs in cold cold water. Then, pat dry. That will give us the best texture for the thighs.
Next preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit then pour a little over one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch glass pan and roll about to cover the entire bottom of the pan. This adds flavor and keeps the thighs from sticking to the pan.
Line up the nine boneless skinless chicken thighs like this in the pan. It is okay to crowd that are on the sides. They will roast just fine the oven is hot enough.
Next wash your blood oranges. Set aside. We will be leaving the peel on during roasting.
Next trim your rosemary. You will need three stalks between five and six inches long (or the equivalent). Rinse them and gently and ever so gently pat dry.
You’ll need about this much. Left hand for size.
Snip in half.
Arrange like so for even flavor dispersement while roasting. Also, you eat with your eyes first so let’s show them what you’ve got. It’s great when everyone arrives home to show them just how pretty dinner is even before it is in the oven.
Next roll the blood orange on the cutting board pressing down roughly but, not too hard. This will get the juices flowing. Slice the first blood orange in half.
So beautiful. I almost hear a… boom when I pop them open every time.
Then, slice like so.
Cut the two middle quarters in half from pole to pole.
Halve the outside quarters.
Arrange like this in the pan. This arrangement will help the juice distribute evenly.
Slice the second blood orange the same way. Except when you get to this step, this time cut in half pole to pole the middle quarters. Then, set the domed quarters aside.
Add the new halves like this.
Next squeeze the domed quarters over all the thighs in the pan. Roughly to get out all the delicious juice.
Drizzle with a light amount of extra virgin olive oil and a few big pinches of pink salt. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 23-28 minutes.
This is about 10 minutes in.
This is done. You will know it is ready when you slice it open and juices run clear.
Once out of oven tent with foil. This helps the juices redistribute themselves inside the meat and the blood oranges. Serve.
I usually serve this with roasted cubed potato (and rosemary) or with rice. This recipe is always a crowd pleaser. The colors are just stunning which makes it quite the feast for the eyes.
Recipe
1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (two times)
9 Rinsed and Dried Chicken Thighs
2 Blood Oranges (medium are fine but large are better)
3 long Sprigs of Rosemary
Pink Salt
Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 23-28 minutes.
This recipe is simple to make and only uses three ingredients. When blood oranges are something that can’t be come by I substitute clementines but, any citrus would really work. As always, try it, create it but, make it your own.
