Recipe: Chicken with Orange-Ginger Glaze

Published on: July 12th, 2020

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Chicken with orange ginger glaze

This is an old-school version of fusion cuisine, with its roots in Jamaica's Chinese community. It has a sweet-savory Asian flavor profile, with a big hit of Caribbean heat. It includes a number of common Jamaican ingredients like allspice, thyme, ginger, and scotch bonnet (habanero) peppers, and the classic Chinese orange/soy sauce combination.  You can find versions in Enid Donaldson's The Real Taste of Jamaica (2000) and Lucinda Scala Quinn's Jamaican Cooking  (1997).

It's actually more of thick sauce than a glaze, and you'll want rice alongside. 

2 oranges, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 pounds boneless chicken

1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped fine
1 habanero (or scotch bonnet) chile, seeded and chopped fine, or less


In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the juice from the oranges and their zest, the grated ginger, soy sauce, marmalade and water. Whisk for a few seconds and set aside.

Use the 2 tablespoons of oil and flour to make a caramel-colored roux. Set aside.

Dry the chicken parts with paper towels. Add the allspice, thyme, salt, and black pepper, then stir to distribute evenly. 

Heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, then remove and set aside.

Carefully spoon out some of the oil from the pan, leaving about a tablespoon in which to saute the vegetables. Add the onions, garlic, and chile pepper. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are softened, 3-4 minutes or so.

Add both the roux and the OJ mixture to the pan, and return to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the roux thoroughly. Add the chicken parts, and return to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the sauce starts to thicken, check that the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce thickens too quickly and the chicken needs more cooking time, thin the sauce out by stirring in a little water.

You're done when the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thickened to your liking. Serve over white rice.
 

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