Orange and Rosemary Chicken Recipe – Easy Yet Impressive

  • By Jackie Sun
  • June 21, 2015

Grilled Orange-Rosemary Chicken | Weeknight Meal #recipe via @CookSmarts

Before we launch into this week’s recipe, we want to give a shout out to all the dads and say, Happy Father’s Day! Hope you guys are taking it easy and looking forward to a nice steak dinner later this evening.

We’re kind of doing a double whammy with our post today, because today’s recipe would be a hit with dads as well as for July 4th, which is coming up in a couple of weeks. This should give you plenty of time to add this meal to your 4th of July menu, because trust us, you don’t want to miss out on this delicious grilled chicken.

“This is one of those awesome recipes that I find myself making over and over again! I love when a recipe like this makes it way onto our menu.”
-Olivia

Grilled Orange-Rosemary Chicken | Weeknight Meal #recipe via @CookSmarts

While this recipe is not slathered in BBQ sauce for a traditional July 4th barbecue, it makes for a great excuse to hit the grill. It’s also a nice switch from the classic BBQ stuff. It’s probably impossible to ever get sick of some good ol’, sweet and tangy barbecue, with sauce dripping off your chin and fingers, but we’re sure that guests love to see something different on the menu every now and then.

And we think that our Grilled Orange-Rosemary Chicken fits the bill. It still has a sweet and tangy flavor from the citrus marinade, but it’s balanced out with herby, earthy rosemary, and a touch of umami soy sauce.

[Cooking Tip: Just because you’re cooking a non-Asian dish doesn’t mean you can’t add a splash of soy sauce. Soy sauce maximizes flavor by adding depth to a dish with its savory taste. Tweet this tip.]

Grilled Orange-Rosemary Chicken with Garlic Fennel Broccolini | Weeknight Meal #recipe via @CookSmarts

We just love adding citrus and herbs to our dishes (as we have mentioned in our Collection of Healthy, Low-Cal Recipes), because they really up the flavor without adding calories, sodium, preservatives, and whatnot. Just simple, natural flavors that make the meal stand out.

Pair this meal with a sweet, crunchy, and aromatic side of Garlic Fennel Broccolini, and you have a super flavorful, delicious, healthy meal.

After all, you can never go wrong with grilled chicken, whether it’s for a quick summer weeknight meal, a homemade dinner for your dad, or a July 4th celebration. Our only advice – sharing is caring, so make sure to save some chicken for everyone else!

“Super tasty! I’m not one for a lot of fruit / sweet flavors with my savory, but this was a perfect amount of citrus & it was quite refreshing!”
-Jessica

COOKING Smarts:

This recipe is so finger lickin’ good, you’ll want to have more of this on hand. If you have a large enough grill, double the chicken recipe and freeze for later. Better yet, use the extra meat in salads and sandwiches, and you can enjoy this flavorful chicken throughout the week!

Prepping Smarts:

Don’t forget to marinate! Maximize flavor by marinating the chicken a day ahead. The marinade will really soak into the chicken, making for some juicy, delicious grilled chicken.

Equipment Smarts:

Grilled chicken calls for a grill, of course, and we love this outdoor one that we use:

Weber Grill from Amazon.comIf you don’t have a grill, you can still enjoy this chicken recipe by using an oven and a broiler pan.

Non-stick Roast Pan from Chicago Metallic via Amazon.comWhatever cooking method you use, make sure to use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.

Meat Thermometer by Weber from Amazon.comFor more kitchen and equipment and tool smarts, visit our ‘Essential Kitchen Cookware and Tools’

See this recipe in our meal plan here

1 4

Grilled Chicken Recipe with Orange and Rosemary

Bright citrus and fresh herbs add delicious flavor to this grilled chicken, making it the perfect dish for any summer celebration.

Prep time: 50 min

Cook time: 20 min

Total time: 1 hr 10 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • Fresh orange juice - 1/4 cup
  • Garlic - 3 cloves, sliced
  • Rosemary - 2 sprigs
  • Red wine vinegar - 2 Tbsp
  • Soy sauce - 1 Tbsp
  • Cooking oil - 1/4 cup
  • Chicken, bone-in & skin-on - 2 lbs (Sub half the weight in boneless chicken)

Instructions

Prep

  1. Orange (if using fresh orange) – Juice
  2. Make marinade – Slice garlic cloves. Combine sliced garlic with rosemary sprigs, orange juice, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and oil in a baking dish. Nestle chicken into marinade. Cover and marinate overnight (or at least 30 minutes). (Should be done 1 day ahead)

Make

  1. If making chicken on the grill: Preheat grill to 500 degrees. Clean grates and brush with some oil. Place chicken over direct heat. Cook over direct heat on opposite sides for ~4 minutes each and then move to indirect heat. Grill with cover closed for another 8 to 15 minutes depending on the size of chicken pieces and if there’s bone in it (bone-in chicken takes longer to cook). Use a thermometer to help you figure out when the chicken is done, at 165F (74C) degrees.
  2. If making chicken in the oven: Preheat oven to 400F (204C) degrees. Adjust oven rack to the middle. Line broiler pan with foil and place broiler rack on top of the pan. Place chicken pieces on rack and roast for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces and if there’s bone in it (bone-in chicken takes longer to cook). Use a thermometer to help you figure out when the chicken is done, at 165F (74C) degrees.
  3. Load up the plates and enjoy the chicken hot off the grill / oven!

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