Madhouse recipe : Honey Orange BBQ Chicken

 

If there's one thing I can say about cooking throughout the long summer holidays, it's that I'm getting fed up with eating chicken ! With three kids, trying to find food that they all like is sometimes complicated. Sophie hates fish. Pierre doesn't like pork. Juliette's not a fan of beef (apart from minced beef). So what's left? Well, chicken and turkey basically, along with sausages, bacon and ... err, no that's about it ! Well, I do like chicken but, I have to admit, I'm getting bored of it, so I decided to try out some dishes with different sauces and flavourings. This recipe, based on the Honey Orange BBQ Chicken recipe on the Food Network website, is very quick and simple and it tastes pretty good. The best thing about it? The kids can decide if they want to try it or just settle for plain chicken ! The original recipe has a marinade then a glaze, but I needed something quick so just went for a simple sauce.

Honey Orange BBQ Chicken 

ingredients :

drizzle of olive oil

500g chicken breast 

salt, pepper, smoked paprika

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (a generous splash will do)

3tbsp butter

1/4 cup honey (a good drizzle)

1/4 cup BBQ sauce (a dollop out of the bottle is good enough)

Pour the olive oil into a frying pan and turn on the heat. Add the chopped chicken breast and sprinkle over the salt, pepper and smoked paprika. (You could use chilli powder instead for an extra kick of heat.) Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the chicken is perfectly cooked through. Chop one piece in half to check it's white all the way through. When it's cooked, remove the chicken to a plate.

In the same pan, toss in the orange juice, honey, BBQ sauce and butter. You can use the measures or just go freestyle - taste and adjust until you get the flavour combination that suits your tastes.

Heat through, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted and it all combines. Keep cooking until the sauce has reduced to a thick consistency. Either put the chicken into the sauce and stir until it is all evenly coated, or serve the plain chicken and the sauce on the side, then pour it over the chicken as desired. (Which is the best option if you have fussy kids !)

The sauce is very sweet so it appeals to kids' palates. You might want to add some extra chilli powder to balance things out. It's very quick to throw together and got a unanimous thumbs up at the dinner table. Phew !