Chicken Thighs with Honey, Orange, Fennel, and Tomatoes

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Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Keywords Gluten Free
Difficulty Easy
Servings 4 people
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
This is one of my favorite chicken dishes. It's sweet but citrusy, and utterly beautiful - the tomatoes and thyme along with the orange, adding pops of bright color and flavor. It's incredibly easy to prepare and great for a quick midweek meal. It also makes good leftovers for lunch the next day. Make sure you get bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, or if you can't get them, get bone-in skin-on thighs and remove the skin yourself. Having the bone-in really adds a lot of flavor, but leaving the skin on is not ideal for this recipe. The marinade that the thighs cook in has a high water content because of the orange juice, so this is not a recipe that will give you crispy skin. Rather, it will come out a bit soggy, so I prefer skin off. Serve with quinoa or brown rice to soak up the juices and a slightly bitter salad like raddichio to complement the sweetness of the honey in the sauce.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 412kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • zest of 1/2 an orange
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
  • freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
  • 1 large fennel bulb
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/3 cup diced white onion

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, mix together the orange juice, zest, honey, mustard, and oil.
  • Put the chicken in an oven proof baking dish large enough for the chicken, fennel, and tomatoes to all lie together in one layer. Pour 2/3 of the orange mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and the leaves from the 6 sprigs of thyme. Bake for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, trim the stems off the fennel bulb and remove the tough outer leaves. Thinly slice the fennel as thin as you like. Chop the tomatoes and onion.
  • Take the chicken out of the oven and baste it with its juices. Tuck in the fennel, tomatoes, and onion around and over the chicken. Spoon the rest of the orange mixture over the chicken. Return to the oven and cook for another 30 minutes.
  • The chicken should be dark gold and cooked through, the juices running clear, and the fennel should be tender and glazed. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve with quinoa or brown rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 874mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 331IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 3mg

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About the author

Hi! Welcome to The Dynamic Dish! I'm Erin - a geophysicist who is passionate about food and culinary science. Here you will find a collection of my favorite recipes, both collected and original, as well as educational posts and reviews on ingredients and cooking techniques. Please check out the welcome post for more information about the site!