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Food & Wine Recipe

Braised Chicken with Wine and Oranges

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  • SERVINGS: 4
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The tangy oranges in this dish blend with the sweet Muscatel wine to create a Spanish sweet-and-sour chicken.

  1. 1/2 cup pure olive oil
  2. 4 chicken breast halves, on the bone (about 1/2 pound each)
  3. Salt and freshly ground pepper
  4. 5 small red new potatoes, thinly sliced
  5. 12 small pearl onions, peeled
  6. 8 baby carrots
  7. 1 garlic clove, minced
  8. 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
  9. 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  10. 1/2 cup Muscatel wine or sweet sherry
  11. 1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
  12. 1 navel orange, peeled and cut into chunks
  1. In a large deep skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet, skin side down. Top the chicken with the potatoes, onions and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the chicken is lightly browned on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Turn the chicken skin side up. Add the garlic, thyme and orange juice and bring to a boil. Add the wine and cook over moderate heat until the liquid reduces slightly, about 7 minutes; push the vegetables under the liquid from time to time. Add the chicken broth and cook over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through, the vegetables are tender and the sauce is reduced by about half, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the orange chunks and cook just until warmed through, about 1 minute.
  3. Transfer the chicken to plates. Spoon the vegetables and sauce on top and serve.

Suggested Pairing

The sweetness of the Muscatel in this dish needs to be balanced by a wine that's been made with a blend of grapes. Try a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Tempranillo grapes.