Chicken with Oranges and Almonds

This dish was a snap to prepare and then pretty much cooked on its own.  There was just a couple of other things to attend to such as toasting some almond slivers in the oven and steaming some snow peas.  I love the challenge of making complicated dishes with lots of sides, but every now and then its great to site down to a meal that is a triple-play; easy to make, healthy for you and tastes delicious!

The recipe called for 2 broiler fryer chicken breasts, without skin.  My bone-in chicken breasts come with the skin on and rather than remove it, I decided to leave it on while the chicken cooked and remove it after since I think that helps to keep the meat more moist.  While in theory this method has always worked for me, but in this case I lost a lot of the seasoning that was now on the skin rather than the meat.  I would recommend removing the skin prior to cooking as the recipe directs.

Chicken with Oranges and Almonds
Makes 2 servings

2 broiler-fryer chicken breasts, without skin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash ground cinnamon
dash ground cloves
1 tablespoon salad oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons craisins
1 orange, pared and thinly sliced

Sprinkle chicken with salt pepper, cinnamon and cloves.  Heat oil in skillet; place chicken in oil and brown to a golden color.  Turn over in pan.  Put garlic, onion, orange juice and 1/2 cup of water over chicken; cover and cook at a simmer for 35 minutes.

Spread out almonds in shallow pan and place in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant but just barely toasted.

Add almonds, Craisins and sliced oranges to chicken.  Cover and cook 5 minutes.


Slightly adapted from Jillian Michaels

My rating: