This Orange Marmalade Chicken recipe is the perfect sheet pan dinner recipe! It’s so easy, and it’s bursting with great citrus flavor!
Inspired by Julia Child, orange marmalade chicken is a spin-off of the classic French recipe Duck À L’Orange. Instead of duck meat, chicken legs, and thighs are roasted with caramelized shallots basted in a sticky-sweet sauce made with a rosemary orange marmalade glaze.
Julia Child’s cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” was published in the 1960s and inspired a love of French food in the U.S. During this time period, Duck À L’Orange became a dinner party staple.
This updated recipe calls for chicken and marmalade for a faster and less expensive result. I am unsure how Julia Child’s duck recipe tasted; we have only prepared smoked duck. The flavors in this recipe are pretty wonderful regardless of what kind of poultry you use.
This sweet and savory chicken dish is a little more kitchen friendly and even easier on your wallet. The juices from the chicken combine with the aromatic orange sauce making this easy dinner a winner with the first bite.
Let’s make Orange Marmalade Chicken!
What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe
The ingredient list is short and simple for such an elegant chicken dinner. The recipe card at the end of this post lists the complete ingredient list with measurements.
Shallots: peel the shallots and cut them in half lengthwise, but quarter them if they are large.
Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil for its flavor.
Seasoning: Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Chicken: use white meat, dark meat, or both. David and I prefer chicken that is bone-in with the skin still intact. We both prefer dark meat. I buy leg quarters because they are cheaper. I cut the leg quarters into pieces (4) individual chicken thighs and (4) individual chicken legs.
Orange Marmalade: marmalade is similar to jam or jelly. Typically it’s made of citrus w/ the skins intact. You’ll need about ½ cup to get that delicious orange flavor.
Vinegar: a neutral vinegar such as white wine vinegar helps thin the marmalade. You could also use rice vinegar or substitute the vinegar with dry white wine.
Herbs: fresh rosemary balances the chicken by adding a savory, fragrant essence.
How To Make Orange Marmalade Chicken
This sheet pan meal is so easy. Simply toss the ingredients with the marmalade mixture onto a sheet pan and bake! It practically cooks itself. Here’s a basic overview of how to make the chicken. The recipe card at the end of this post provides detailed instructions with times and temperatures.
- Toss the shallots with a tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
- Whisk together the marmalade, vinegar, rosemary, remaining tablespoon of oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Drop the chicken into the bowl with the marmalade mixture and toss to coat. Place the chicken onto the baking sheet nestling the pieces among the shallots.
- Bake the chicken for about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven. Turn the pieces over and baste the rosemary-orange glaze onto the chicken with a basting brush.
- Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the chicken has browned and cooked through (165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer) and the shallots are tender; for another 20 to 30 minutes.
What To Serve With This Chicken
I served the chicken with some sautéed zucchini and corn, but David prefers brussels sprouts. So he made some because he’s weird like that. You could also serve this chicken with white rice, potatoes, or other veggies.
Tips For Making Orange Marmalade Chicken
- Line the rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts can be used in this dish but may dry out. Monitoring the temperature is crucial for juicy chicken meat.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Make sure there is room between the shallots and chicken pieces.
- If you’d like this dish to have some spice, add red crushed pepper flakes to the marmalade mixture.
- Storage: Store leftovers inside an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave for 1-3 minutes or put the chicken back into a preheated 400-degree F oven for 10-12 minutes.
Making this recipe? We’d love to hear your feedback. Leave us a comment and a star rating below. We really appreciate it!
See ya on the mountain!
Orange Marmalade Chicken
Useful Equipment:
Ingredients
- 8 shallots peeled and halved lengthwise (quartered if large)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 leg quarters cut into pieces (4) individual thighs and (4) individual legs.
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Toss the shallots onto the prepared baking sheet with a tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the marmalade, vinegar, rosemary, remaining tablespoon oil, and salt and pepper, to taste.
- If necessary, cut up the chicken into individual legs and thighs. Then place the chicken into the bowl of rosemary orange glaze and toss to coat.Remove the chicken from the bowl and place onto the baking sheet nestling the pieces among the shallots.
- Place the chicken into the oven and bake the chicken for about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven. Turn the pieces over and baste the rosemary-orange glaze onto the chicken with a basting brush.
- Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake, until chicken has browned and cooked through (165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer) and the shallots are tender; for another 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Allow the chicken to cool slightly. Serve warm with your favorite sides!
Lindsay says
This looks so wonderful! I always thought it was more involved than this to make – I can’t wait to try it out!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Lindsay,
I am sure Julia didn’t cut any corners with her recipes. She may have frowned upon this shortcut version, until she tasted it for herself. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 🙂
Debbie
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser says
Now your’e talking my language-Citrus and Cookin” go girl!!! Julia who? (Only kidding)…
The Mountain Kitchen says
Yes, Cheryl! Try this out and use some fresh Florida orange marmalade!! 🙂
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser says
Debbie, the oranges grow in our yard – fresh handpicked off the trees! Although, I do love orange marmalade (homemade of course). Don’t forget the lemons, limes, coconuts, bananas too. It is a Citrus Jungle I tell you! Duck is greasy and very gamey tasting (dark meat) David is correct with that sorry- check one for David!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Citus jungle?? Wow!!
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser says
And…..I call the screened-in room that houses the Herbs and Houseplants a Jungle, too! I need to check that today, water, clip etc. along with the long list of to do today. HA! Have a great weekend!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Get busy! Chop! Chop!! LOL!
Dana @ IveGotCake says
Very nice madam!
But you’ve never eaten duck!? We must change that. Put that on your 2015 resolution/bucket list.
Love that you guys had this with corn on the side, I love me some corn on the cob 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you, Dana!
I have never eaten duck! David made me afraid of it calling it fatty and a few other things… What does he know?!? lol! Perhaps I will add this to my 2015 resolution/bucket list. And just maybe I will have made Julia proud!
Even His Royal Highness likes corn on the cob! 😉
Julie is HostessAtHeart says
This looks delicious! I turn to chicken so much that love seeing different recipes for using it.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Julie. I am going to spice this same recipe up next week. If you like spicy food, you may want to try that one too! 🙂
Sarah says
This recipe looks delicious!
I agree with Dana, you should absolutely give duck a try. I was a little timid at first, but it’s wonderful 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hey Sarah,
This recipe is a keeper! I hope you will give it a try.
You and Dana are really twisting my arm…lol! Both of you have my curiosity peaked!
Anna Buckley says
great idea to use marmalade. Whenever my mother comes to stay I always make sure we have marmalade for her toast. It’s something I don’t eat (horror!) and I usually end up throwing the remainder out. Not now…
The Mountain Kitchen says
Shame on you, Mrs. Buckley!! I have another recipe to share with you that involves muffins to use up the rest. 😉
SJG says
What a great take on a classic recipe!!
Also, I love the recipe card widget/picture you have going on.
Very cool and nifty!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you! I had a couple of comment in the past that said they had trouble with the old format. I hope this solved the problem. 🙂
Rachel says
YUMMMMM. Debbie, I’m loving the new site. But I’m not seeing your posts on my normal feed… Do I need to do something special so that I can see them again?! I’VE GOTTA SEE THEM!!! 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hey Rachel!
UGH!! You’re not the first to tell me that you don’t see it in your feed. From what I understand this is the downfall to a self-hosted site. I believe the RSS feed makes it available in WordPress Reader, but can possibly take up to 6 hours to show up. I am working on this issue to try and figure a work around. For now perhaps you could sign up for email subscription, or you could follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram where I usually share my posts. I’m sorry you can’t see the them in your normal feed. 🙁
Debbie
The Mountain Kitchen says
RAACHhhhhhhellllll! I found a solution: http://en.support.wordpress.com/reader/#adding-new-blogs 🙂
Rachel says
Oh yes. DUH – I knew this. Doing it now!
When I decide to make the switch, I might need your help…. 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks for following! I am glad I stumbled across the support link. I had no idea. I will be happy to help you any way I can. I am self taught and fumble and stumble through the whole process myself. Thank goodness there is so much free info online!!
skd says
The chicken looks so delicious. Wonder if plain vinegar would work just as well.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Go for it! It is such a small amount, I do not think it will make a difference. It is mainly used to thin up the marmalade so that it is easier to distribute across the chicken. 🙂
Kate says
Made this tonight and loved it! My sauce was thinner so I cooked it longer (and added some orange slices on top as it finished) but it was delicious and easy. THANKS for posting!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Kate! I’m so glad you like this recipe. The orange slices on top sound heavenly! I’m so glad you took the time to stop by and comment. Have a good week! ~Debbie
Jessica says
This was delicious! I just made it tonight and I absolutely loved it. It was super easy, too.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks for the great review, Jessica. So happy you liked the recipe! 🙂
Phyllis says
Really delicious. I’m not a great cook, but this turned out great. My hubby loved it. It’s my new go to for company chicken”!
The Mountain Kitchen says
So happy to hear this, Phillis!