Chicken Dinners
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[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Notes: Take care when broiling chicken. The glaze browns quickly.

About the author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore as a freelance writer for Time Out Singapore. Check out her blog: shophousecook.com. Follow Yvonne on Twitter.

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About This Recipe

Yield: serves 4
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours

Ingredients

  • For the Chicken:
  • 2 tablespoons zest and 1 cup juice from about 2 to 3 oranges
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves, divided
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 bone-in whole chicken legs (thigh and leg), about 2 pounds total
  • 3 tablespoons apricot preserves
  •  
  • For the Spinach Salad:
  • 4 tablespoons white or regular balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 ounces baby spinach (1 clamshell container)
  • 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
  • 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
  • 2 oranges, cut peel and pith removed, cut into segments

Procedures

  1. For The Chicken: In small bowl, stir orange zest, 2 tablespoons rosemary, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken in zipper lock bag and rub marinade into chicken well. Refrigerate 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

  2. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450&degF. Place chicken on rimmed baking sheet skin side up. Roast until skin is deep golden and chicken is cooked through (175&degF), about 20 minutes.

  3. While chicken is roasting, make glaze: In small saucepan, bring orange juice to simmer over medium heat. Reduce orange juice to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining teaspoon rosemary, apricot preserves, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until syrupy and reduced to about 1/3 cup.

  4. When chicken is cooked, brush glaze over chicken. Increase oven heat to broil and cook just until glaze browns, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to serving plate and let rest 15 minutes before serving.

  5. For the Spinach Salad: In medium bowl, whisk vinegar, mustard, and salt. Slowly whisk in oil until combined. Toss spinach with dressing, blue cheese, walnuts, and orange slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chicken and salad immediately.