Chicken With Mandarin, Cointreau & Thyme
There are times when you have leftovers that you don't know what to do with. I had a grilled half chicken bought from the rosticceria (rotisserie). The potatoes that usually go with it are long gone and to reheat it didn't seem so appetizing. I had a lot of late harvest mandarins that needed to be eaten. These two could possibly go together. I have never tried chicken with mandarins so why not? A quick confirmation at the internet showed me that it's actually quite common already. By now mixing meat with fruits has become habitual that another dish up my sleeve would be another exploration of tastes. My only concern is if it will be eaten by my three critics. I usually encounter the challenge in my persnickety 5-year old. True enough, he didn't like it but my other 2 critics loved it. I loved it too. It was such a pleasant surprise to have the distinctive taste of the mandarin with the saltiness of the pancetta and the chicken. So if you have any chicken leftovers, this is worth a try. As an afterthought, not just leftovers can be used with this recipe. I would definitely cook this again the next time I buy white chicken meat.
Chicken With Mandarin, Cointreau & Thyme
Ingredients:Serves 2
- 1/4 onion, minced
- 40 grams pancetta, diced
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups of chicken, diced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 rosemary twig
- 2 mandarin oranges, peeled, sectioned & seeded
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup Cointreau
- salt
- pepper
Directions:
- Over medium heat in a saucepan with extra virgin olive oil, sautè the onions & pancetta.
- When the pancetta are toasted, add the chicken, thyme & rosemary. Cook until chicken is cooked through.
- Add the mandarin & water. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the Cointreau. Put up the flame to let the alcohol evaporate.
- Put back the flame to medium and cook for 10 minutes more. Season with salt & pepper.
