sunshine chicken

I adapted this recipe from an old cookbook called “365 Ways to Cook Chicken-Simply the Best Chicken Recipes You’ll find Anywhere!” It’s a corny title, but every recipe I have used from this book has been very good. The original title for this chicken is ‘Honey-Garlic Chicken’ but I think ‘Sunshine Chicken’ captures the bright flavors better. Besides, it has the brightest golden orange color. The photo above reveals that we had a thoroughly ‘orange dinner’ this night. I served the chicken with buttered carrots and cheesy rice (yes, from a box…..)

I am always interested in great meals that you can whip up after working all day and this is one of them. You could always make the glaze the day before serving.

Here’s what you need:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – about 3 pounds. I slice mine in half horizontally.

White vinegar – enough to cover the chicken plus ¼ cup for the glaze

2 T butter

1 med onion – chopped

6 cloves garlic – minced

6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate

2/3 C honey

Here’s what you do:

Marinate the chicken in vinegar at room temperature for about an hour.

Make the glaze by sautéing the onions and garlic in the butter until soft, about 5 minutes on low. Add the orange juice and honey and ¼ C vinegar and cook until thick and beautiful. I simmered mine for about 20 minutes.

I strained out the onions and garlic for a smoother glaze, but this step is not necessary – I have left the veggies in before and that’s equally as good. The glaze will be better if you refrigerate it and allow it to cool and thicken. You can see in the photo how beautiful the color is – Sunshine!

Remove the chicken from the vinegar and grill it on medium-high. Be very generous with the glaze – it is very nice!

The end result is sticky and tangy and very bright tasting. Leftovers are fantastic in a sandwich or salad.

(printable recipe)