This Pomegranate Orange Chicken from Fine Cooking has everything going for it. It’s pretty and sweet and fancy enough to introduce to company; it’s easy to make and full of healthy ingredients; it’s a complete meal that bakes in a single dish; it’s garnished with tart, red, juicy pomegranate seeds; and it’s very, very tasty. Plus everyone loves it.
Pomegranate Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium parsnip, peeled, core removed, & sliced into 1/2" chunks
- 1 yellow onion, peeled & cut into 3/4 inch wedges
- 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or 8 chicken thighs)
- 1 large orange, zest finely grated & juiced
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp. canola oil
- salt and pepper
- pomegranate seeds & fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the orange juice and pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat, uncovered, until the juice is reduced to 3/4 cup – about 15 minutes. Stir in fresh thyme, ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.
- Divide the juice mixture into two small bowls. Add chicken stock to one and set aside. In the other bowl, add 1 Tbsp. of the canola oil.
- In a large glass, ceramic, or metal baking dish (10 x 15 x 2) scatter the sweet potatoes, parsnips, and onion. Toss them with 2 Tbsp. canola oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the chicken, skin side up, on top of the vegetables. Brush the chicken with the juice-oil mixture (use it all up). Place the pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Pour the juice-broth mixture around the chicken and over the vegetables. Return the dish to the oven and continue to cook until vegetables are tender and chicken pieces are cooked (check with a thermometer – pieces should be 165 degrees) – approximately 30 minutes.
- Serve chicken and vegetables with the pan juices on a platter or individual plates and garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds, orange zest, and fresh thyme if desired.
