Cocoa-Orange Braised Chicken

Submitted by Halcyon Eve

"From a Sunset Magazine special edition, "Sunset Weeknight." I haven't made it yet, but the recipe description sounds like it is inspired by mole--but quicker and easier to make. My DH loves mole, so I want to try this out on him and see if he likes it!"

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 lb)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process cocoa)
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Ceylon)
• 1 1⁄4 cups reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
• 2 oranges, washed and patted dry (about 1 1/2 lbs total)
• 1⁄4 cup orange muscat dessert wine (or use a sweet white wine, if you can't find the dessert wine)
• salt
• Italian parsley (sprigs for garnish, also called flat-leaf parsley)

directions

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a rimmed plate.
3. Add onion, garlic, cocoa, chili powder, sugar, cumin, and cinnamon to pan. Cook, stirring often, until onions are limp and spices are fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Add 1/2 cup broth to pan and stir to loosen and bits stuck to bottom. Simmer until onion is limp, about 5 minutes.
5. Return chicken to pan. Using a zester or fine grater, grate enough peel (orange part only, no white) from one of the oranges to make 1 tsp zest. Juice the orange into a liquid measuring cup. Add zest and 1/2 cup juice to pan (save any remaining juice for another use). Cover and simmer over low heat until chicken is no longer pink in center, about 8 minutes (cut to test).
6. Meanwhile, cut and discard peel and membrane from remaining orange. Thinly slice crosswise into rounds; set aside.
7. When chicken is done, skim any fat from sauce and discard. Add wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt to taste. Pour into a serving dish and garnish with orange slices and sprigs of parsley.

Reviews

[schzd]

This was nice, but I made a few changes. I don't use commercial stock, so I just used water, and we don't drink alcohol so I substituted grape juice. Also I only put half a teaspoon of chilli powder as 9yo DS can't handle too much chilli. It was fine for us, but still too hot for him. 1 and a half tablespoons might have been too hot for us, and we like spicy food!