Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives
Prep 10 mins Cook 20 mins Eat 25 mins
This recipe for Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives is one of my favorite weeknight meals that you can make in less than 30 minutes. I love it because it is so easy to make, can be made in a flash and has tons of surprising flavor. We are lucky enough to have an orange tree in our garden that is full of ripe oranges in the early spring, so this is the perfect dish to make those oranges shine.
Use either boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives “mise en place”.
Here’s your “mise en place” ingredients for the Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives. In addition to the main ingredients, you will need a can of diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup chicken broth (I used Better than Bouillon base), some flour, cumin, crushed red pepper and olive oil. You can use either boneless chicken breasts or thighs. I like to cut them in half or thirds to make smaller pieces for fast cooking.
Flour, salt, pepper and orange zest go into a pie plate.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Stir together the flour, some salt and pepper and orange zest in a pie plate and heat a skillet on medium-high heat with some olive oil.
Dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour mixture.
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and then into the hot pan. I used chicken thighs this time.
Fry the chicken pieces until golden on both sides. The center will still be raw.
Fry the pieces of chicken until each side is golden, about 2 minutes per side. The center will still be raw. Remove from the skillet and place on a baking sheet. After all chicken pieces are cooked, place the chicken in a 350° oven, while you prepare the sauce.
Rinse the Leeks after slicing to remove sand hiding between the layers.
Leeks and spices are added to the skillet.
While the chicken is cooking, slice the leek lengthwise to reveal the center. Then place it face down and slice it thinly. discarding the dark green ends of the leek. VERY IMPORTANT! Rinse the sliced leeks in a colander to remove the sand that hides between the layers. Add the sliced leeks to the skillet with the cumin, crushed red pepper. Add more olive oil and cook for about 4 minutes or until soft. Add in the remaining flour and orange zest from the pie plate to the pan. Stir all together.
Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and the chicken broth. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
Add the oranges and olives and heat through.
While the mixture is cooking, peel and slice the oranges and slice the olives. Add them to the sauce and heat through.
Top the baked chicken with the sauce and serve.
You are now ready to serve the delicious Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives. Top the baked chicken with the sauce and serve.
Serve Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives with millet, rice or orzo.
Millet is boiled, them simmered for 15 minutes.
I served the Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives with millet. Millet is a wonderful ancient grain, gluten free that has a nutty flavor. It soaks up the flavors of any sauce you marry it with. I rinsed the millet, added 2 cups water to 1 cup millet and added a teaspoon of the “Better than Bouillion”. Bring to a boil. then simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes until “al dente”.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve. In 25 minutes, you can have this delicious and impressive Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives on your table.
Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives
This recipe is an old favorite of mine from McCall’s Best One-Dish Meals that I’ve tweaked a bit. You can make ahead for company by browning the chicken and holding on a baking sheet. Continue making the sauce and take off the heat. Then finish cooking the chicken in the oven for 10 minutes while warming the sauce. It is nice served with some rice, orzo or steamed millet on the side to soak up the delicious sauce.
1/4 cup flour
1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
2 Tablespoons + olive oil
2 cups leeks, sliced and rinsed well (white & light green parts only)
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained of juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 medium oranges, peeled, sliced and seeded,
1/3 cup Nicoise or Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut each piece of chicken in half or thirds, if desired for faster cooking. Stir together the flour, some salt and pepper and orange zest in a pie plate and heat a skillet on medium-high heat with some olive oil. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture..Fry the pieces of chicken until each side is golden, about 2 minutes per side. The center will still be raw. Remove from the skillet and place on a baking sheet. After all chicken pieces are cooked, place the chicken in the oven, while you prepare the sauce.
2. While the chicken is cooking, slice the leek lengthwise to reveal the center. Then place it face down and slice it thinly. discarding the dark green ends of the leek. VERY IMPORTANT! Rinse the sliced leeks in a colander to remove the sand that hides between the layers. Add the sliced leeks to the skillet with the cumin, crushed red pepper. Add more olive oil and cook for about 4 minutes or until soft. Add in the remaining flour and orange zest from the pie plate to the pan. Stir all together.
3. Add the drained tomatoes and the chicken broth. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. While the mixture is cooking, peel and slice the oranges and slice the olives. Add them to the sauce and heat through. Top the baked chicken with the sauce and serve.
Servings: 4 – 419 calories per serving
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Oven Temperature: 350°F
Chicken with Oranges, Leeks and Olives
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 Tablespoons + olive oil
- 2 cups leeks sliced and rinsed well (white & light green parts only)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes
- 1 14- ounce can diced tomatoes drained of juice
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 medium oranges peeled, sliced and seeded,
- 1/3 cup Nicoise or Kalamata olives pitted and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut each piece of chicken in half or thirds, if desired for faster cooking. Stir together the flour, some salt and pepper and orange zest in a pie plate and heat a skillet on medium-high heat with some olive oil. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture..Fry the pieces of chicken until each side is golden, about 2 minutes per side. The center will still be raw. Remove from the skillet and place on a baking sheet. After all chicken pieces are cooked, place the chicken in the oven, while you prepare the sauce.
- While the chicken is cooking, slice the leek lengthwise to reveal the center. Then place it face down and slice it thinly. discarding the dark green ends of the leek. VERY IMPORTANT! Rinse the sliced leeks in a colander to remove the sand that hides between the layers. Add the sliced leeks to the skillet with the cumin, crushed red pepper. Add more olive oil and cook for about 4 minutes or until soft. Add in the remaining flour and orange zest from the pie plate to the pan. Stir all together.
- Add the drained tomatoes and the chicken broth. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. While the mixture is cooking, peel and slice the oranges and slice the olives. Add them to the sauce and heat through. Top the baked chicken with the sauce and serve.
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com
Nutrition
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Almost sounds Moroccan and definitely sounds wonderful!
It’s definitely an American creation, but I thought it sounded Spanish because of the oranges (from Valencia) and some crushed red pepper to add spice + the cumin. Of course, Morocco is across the water from Spain, so there you go.