WHB: Rosemary And Orange-Glazed Chicken With Sweet Potatoes

As I was making this dish, I had a nagging feeling that I'd seen it before on another blog.  So, I Googled it and found nothing. Then I checked some other blogs, thinking I had seen it on them.  Again, nothing.   If anyone made this, let me know.  It's driving me crazy.

This dish was featured in Diane Rossen Worthington's, Seriously Simple, and it was seriously easy to make.  It's the kind of recipe that assembles quickly and goes into the oven, emerging later full of flavor, with a beautiful aroma.  A lot of the flavor and aroma comes from rosemary, which grows with abandon in my backyard.  With the exception of mint, I don't know of a more enthusiastic plant. Plus, it tolerates extremes in temperature, both hot and cold.  And it can outlast most droughts.  I once had a rosemary bush that was rarely watered, it but  flourished.  This admirable herb is perfect for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, created by the lovely Kalyn, but hosted this week by Swank Catering.  Please check out her site this weekend, to see all the wonderful WHB participants.

The secret to this dish is the marinade of orange juice and zest, garlic, vinegar and rosemary.  The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of minced rosemary, but I didn't use that much. I've had some bad experiences with rosemary overpowering a dish. I used 2 teaspoons of the rosemary and it tasted fine to me.

After marinating 4 hours, I put the chicken, along with the marinade, and some cubed sweet potatoes in a roasting pan, and baked them for around an hour.  The recipe also calls for minced leeks, but I forgot to add them. I'm sure they would have been a lovely addition, but the potatoes still tasted very nice without them.

All in all, this was a very good recipe, delicious and simple to make. 

Rosemary and Orange-Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potatoes  (Diane Rossen Worthington, Seriously Simple)

For the marinade:

Zest and juice of 2 oranges
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. Champagne vinegar
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary  (I used 2 teaspoons of rosemary)
2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 chickens, each 3 1/2 lb. and cut into 8 pieces
3 sweet potatoes, about 1 1/2 lb. total, peeled
  and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 leeks, white and light green portions, rinsed
  well and finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus
  sprigs for garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

To make the marinade, in a small bowl, combine the orange zest and juice, garlic, vinegar, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper and stir until blended.

Place the chicken in a large sealable plastic bag or large bowl and pour in the marinade, coating the chicken evenly. Seal the bag or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Preheat an oven to 425°F.

Place the chicken and the marinade in a large, heavy roasting pan. Arrange the sweet potatoes and leeks around the chicken, making sure to coat the vegetables with the marinade.

Roast until the chicken shows no sign of pink when the thickest parts are cut into near the bone, the skin is brown and crisp, and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Stir the chicken and potatoes once or twice while cooking. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a warmed platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Place the pan with the sweet potatoes over medium-high heat, and add the orange zest and juice and chopped rosemary. Cook, stirring, until the potatoes are very soft and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Arrange the sweet potatoes around the chicken and pour the sauce over the meat. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and serve immediately. Serves 8.

Comments

[Tanna]

That does seem seriously simple but seriously good. Fabulous picture. As much as I love rosemary, it is an herb that can be too much.

[Jeff]

Hrm..was the top of the chicken crispy? I'm thinking broiler :)

[Mae]

I have made a similar dish for Ruth of 'once upon a feast' for recipe testing.

I really like the sound and look of that orange marinade. I can't remember if Ruth's had garlic on it... but garlic, orange and zest with rosemary sounds delightful both visual and smell and i can imagine, taste too!

Your first photo is driving me crazy!!!

[kristi]

Yum. Chicken and sweet potatoes. Two of my favorites!

[Garrett]

That chicken looks fabu. I need to live at your house so I can eat better.
>^.^<

[Christine]

Isn't that a great book? I love all of her recipes. Gorgeous photos Sher! Are we going to hear from Upsie this weekend?

[kalyn]

It sounds great to me. I didn't use to like sweet potatoes, but the last few years I've started to really like them. Rosemary is great; wish it would grow all year here.

[Teresa]

That dish looks amazing. Yet another recipe of yours that I'll have to try!

[gattina]

Sher, save me that chicken skin!!!

[angie]

Sher, this looks simply wonderful and delicious!

[astrid]

Sher, thank you for the inspiration - I made a similar dish today for monday's lunch.

[Kesha Crawford]

I have made this reciepe before
it was in a cook book, that was displayed on line
Your receipe matches for the most part.
They used white balsamic vinegar and is very good I use it all the time and it proves to be a big hit with allmy friends

[mandi]

nasttyyyyyy