Ginger Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice

OK, couple of things and a tip...

First, not important to the taste, but this is in my opinion the prettiest dish I have ever served.  The stunning golden brown and delicious color with the partially caramelized crispy skin of the chicken, contrasted with the pure white rice and all interlaced with the beautiful Orange slices made for one amazing platter.

This is a wonderful party tray for your next BBQ/Grilling session.

Although, Second, I did grill these, but there is no reason you can not bake them in an oven.375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

But, here in the Cul de Sac we finally had a decent Spring day, temps in the high 60's, so I wanted to do some grillin'

I do have a tip for Semi Grilling Chicken Thighs, guarantees tender, moist and deliciously flavorful every time...  Take a Muffin tin (the large muffin variety), and float a thigh over each hole.  This way, the juices from the chicken and the dripping sauce will pool under each piece.  Then the sauce begins to heat and bubble and steam the chicken from underneath as the heat cooks the chicken.  You do lose the grill marks, but you get beautifully moist pieces of chicken.

As to the taste...

SPECTACULAR!!!

The sweet, Citrus taste, with hints of Asian Ginger makes each bite a winner!  It pairs beautifully with the Coconut Rice (recipe below).

This dish is destined to be my goto crowd pleaser!

So, grill or oven, give this a try... SPECTACULAR!

OK... Here's what I did...

Semi Grilled
Ginger Orange Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Orange Marmalade
• 1 small piece (about 1/2 inch) Ginger Root, peeled and grated
• 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
• 1/2 Cup White Wine
• 1/4 Cup Tightly packed Brown Sugar
• 8 Chicken Thighs Bone in, skin on
• Serve over 8 Cups Coconut Rice (See Recipe Below)
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• Garnish with Cashews and sliced Green Onions
• Also Garnish with 8 LARGE slices of a fresh Orange as a "plate" for each Thigh

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat the grill
2. First, make the glaze sauce... In a blender, combine the Orange Marmalade, Orange Juice, minced Ginger, White Wine and Brown Sugar, blend to mix completely.
3. Arrange the thigh suspended over a muffin pan.
4. Divide the Orange Sauce in half. Save 1/4 to drizzle on the rice, 1/4 to brush as a finishing glaze once the thighs are cooked and 1/2 to use to sauce the thighs prior to cooking.
5. Brush and pour the half portion of sauce evenly distributed among the 8 thighs.
6. Season with Salt and Pepper
7. Move to the grill. You will be using the grill as an oven. Put the muffin tins over a medium hot heat and close the lid. You will cook until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees. This should take about 20-25 minutes. The skin will take on a crispy golden caramelized appearance. Do not over cook, that dries out the meat.
8. To serve, spread the coconut rice out on a platter, arrange 8 Orange slices around the platter and top each with a Chicken Thigh, brush each with a final glaze of sauce, drizzling the remaining around the rice.  Add additional Orange Slices if you have any left
9. Add Cashews and Sliced Green Onions...
10. Serve HOT and Enjoy!

Here's how to make the Coconut Rice...

Coconut Rice

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Chicken Stock
• 2 Cups White Rice
• 1 (13-1/2 Ounce) Can Coconut Milk
• Salt and Pepper To taste
• 1 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut

Cooking Directions

1. Bring the Chicken Stock to a boil
2. Add the rice and reduce to a simmer
3. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
4. Add the Coconut Milk, simmer for another 5 minutes until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium heat, add the coconut to toast. Shale every few minutes until the coconut begins to change to a delicious brown. Be careful to not burn.
6. Add the coconut to the rice when it is finished cooking, remove from heat and cover until ready to serve.
7. Serve HOT and Enjoy