Clementine Glazed Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

My kids can be picky when it comes to citrus (much like their dad). Sometimes I buy them a box of Clementines and they practically inhale the things. Other times they run from them like I was forcing vegetables down their throat. A recent box of Clementines was more than latter than the former. They were more on the tart side. In order not to let them go to waste, I decided to dust off my old Clementine Glazed Chicken Thigh recipe and give it another go around. I also wanted a chance to improve the awful photo I took the first time around. Here is said photo:

I am shocked (and embarassed) that anyone would have pinned this picture on Pinterest. Hopefully my photography has improved over the last couple years:

I would say that looks a little better! And for the record I served the chicken this time around with a mixture of short grain brown rice and tri-colored quinoa – for that little extra healthy something, plus it makes the plate look pretty, doesn’t it?

Type of Clementines To Use

Clementine is often used to describe all types of mandarins just as Kleenex is used to describe all types of facial tissues. For this recipe, you can use any type of mandarin you want, whether the bag says Cuties or Halos, or it’s a named variety like Satsumas or Ruby Tango.

Type of Chicken to Use

I like using chicken thighs for this recipe. Dark meat has more “chicken-ey flavor”. Some people don’t like it or prefer leaner chicken. Feel free to use chicken breast for this recipe as well. I would recommend making the pieces of chicken small and thin. White meat dries out a lot quicker than dark meat. The quicker you cook it the more moist it will be. By making it small you can cook it faster.

If you are a passionate citrus lover, make sure you take part of my #citruspassport campaign. Download your FREE guide to citrus season.

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Clementine Glazed Chicken Thighs

Author Eric Samuelson

Ingredients

For the glaze

• 8-10 Clementines
• 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom honey
• zest of 3 Clementines
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the chicken!

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
• cooking oil I like grape seed
• kosher salt

Instructions

To make the glaze

1. Start by peeling 8-10 Clementines and place them into a blender or a container and use a stick blender.
2. Place a sieve over a sauce pan and pour the mixture through it.
3. Add remaining glaze ingredients
4. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, so you don't boil over.
5. Stir frequently.
6. Cook until the juice it has begun to thicken and is almost a syrup like consistency, but not quite.
7. Taste the glaze. Add more seasonings if necessary.

To prepare the chicken

1. Season with kosher salt. Then grab a large skillet or electric skillet, and place enough oil just to cover the bottom.
2. Heat the skillet over medium high heat.
3. When skillet is ready, place the chicken inside.
4. Cook until the chicken pieces have browned all over and there is no pink in the middle.