Shelly's Recipe

ORANGE-GLAZED HONEY CHICKEN THIGHS

Category: Chicken

1 1/2 cups orange juice plus an additional 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup light corn syrup
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard and distilled white vinegar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Table salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat, with three diagonal slahses on the skin
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375. Whisk 1 1/2 cups orange juice, corn syrup, honey, mustard, vinegar, pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper together in medium bowl. Place flour in pie plate, then season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Working with one chicken thigh at a time, coat chicken with flour, patting off excess.

Heat oil in ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs skin-side down; cook until well browned and most of fat has rendered from skin, 8 to 14 minutes. (If after 3 minutes you do not hear definite sizzling, increase heat to medium-high. If after 6 minutes chicken is darker than lightly browned, reduce heat slightly.) Turn chicken and lightly brown other side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate.

Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from pan. Add shallot and cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase heat to high and add orange juice mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to 1 cup (heatproof spatula should leave slight trail when dragged through glaze), 6 to 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and tilt to one side so glaze pools in corner of pan. Using tongs, dip each chicken thigh in pooled glaze to coat evenly and place skin-side up in skillet.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake chicken until thickest part of thighs registers 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and let rest 5 minutes. Return skillet to high heat (be careful-handle will be very hot) and cook glaze, stirring constantly, until thick and syrupy (heatproof spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice. Spoon 1 teaspoon glaze over each thigh and serve, passing remaining glaze at table. Serves 4.

NOTES: When reducing the glaze in step 4, remember that the skillet handle will be hot; use an oven mitt. To make sure the chicken cooks evenly, buy thighs that are similar in size; about 6 ounces apiece. If the glaze looks dry during baking, add up to 2 tablespoons of juice to the pan. If your skillet is not ovenproof, brown the chicken thighs and reduce the glaze as instructed, then transfer the chicken and glaze to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and bake (do not wash the skillet). When the chicken is fully cooked, transfer it to a plate to rest and scrape the glaze back into the skillet to be reduced.