poulet a l'orange...kind of.

well, i intentionally wanted to make gordon ramsay's sticky lemon chicken but i didn't have lemon....i had navel oranges. soooo, i did an orange chicken instead and made a side of sesame asparagus to go along with it. :D

when i go to bevmo to go shopping, i head straight to the minis and decide what liquor i can use in my cooking. i had actually bought a cointreau mini, which is an orange liqueur, a week ago and thought, great! this will go nicely with the recipe i was supposed to follow. it basically remained the same except i took out the water and subbed oj, and lemon juice for lots of orange zest, and cut the thyme in half. i let that sit for ten minutes while i prepped and cooked the chicken.

after that, it was making the glaze syrupy and tossing the chicken in it then making the asparagus side. so what did it taste like? like panda express without the breading but ten times better! XD i'm looking forward to making this again and maybe playing with different citruses and fruits. and i was surprised how well the thyme worked with the oranges...it would probably have been better if the thyme was fresh: the little bitty dry leaves slightly poked you in the mouth when you chewed, lol. also, one thing i think was missing was some sort of starch...maybe a rice dish? i don't know. but it was still pretty awesome. thank you mr. ramsay for this wonderful base recipe! now, all i have to do is see if i can make his other dishes! :D

 

Sticky Lemon Chicken
(from Gordon Ramsey and Food.com)

1 lb chicken leg/thighs, about 8-10
salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 to 4 tbsp honey
1 head garlic, each clove sliced in half
1 whole lemon, Sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup water
1 tbsp thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbsp dried parsley

1 .In a large skillet pan, add the oil to Med/High Heat. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for about 5-6 minutes, turning each piece.

2. Add the garlic cloves, soy sauce, and honey to the pan, making sure to get all the chicken in the sauces. Coninue to cook for a 5 minutes.

3. Add the water and lay the slices of lemon on top of the chicken in the pan. Put a lid on the pan and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Season the chicken with thyme and parlsey. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

 

Sesame Asparagus
(from Delicious Dishes)

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2-9nch-long pieces
4 teaspoons sesame seeds

Stir soy sauce and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Heat oil in heavy large skillet. Add garlic and stir 15 seconds. Add asparagus and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add soy mixture and toss until asparagus is coated, about 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Serves 4-6