Apple-Orange Baked Chicken
Don't serve the onions and oranges that are under the chicken; they are there to provide lots of flavor and cushion the chicken from the oven's heat.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8
2 (4-pound) chickens, cut up
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 oranges, sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup applesauce
⅓ cup orange marmalade
½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove skin from the chicken; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Line roasting pan with orange and onion slices and top with chicken. Drizzle chicken with melted butter and set aside.
2. In bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover pan with foil and bake for 55 minutes, basting once with the orange mixture. Uncover and bake for 40–50 minutes longer, basting frequently with orange mixture, until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Keep It Healthy
You could use all bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts in this recipe. In that case, the baking time should be cut to ½ hour covered, ½ hour uncovered. That would cut the fat in this recipe, while keeping all the flavor. Chicken cooked with the skin on is moister, but if you just don't eat the skin, the fat content is greatly reduced.
