Spice Crusted Chicken with Blood Orange Maple Glaze

In this spice crusted chicken recipe, I use an combo of toasted cumin and coriander. Then drizzle it with a blood orange, maple and rosemary glaze.

It’s Monday so I’m thinking I should start the week by bringing some major flavors to the table.

Flavor is good, right? I mean especially for Mondays. Mondays were never my favorite… but now things are looking up and are majorly delicious.

Remember when I toasted my own spices? Well it was to coat and crust chicken breasts. Something about those two spices along with a glaze of blood orange, maple syrup and rosemary turns ordinary chicken into an extraordinary recipe.

A lot of people ask me how I come up with my recipes. Well sometimes it takes a year. Like this recipe, I’ve been thinking about this babe for a little over a year now. I made something similar this time last year, but the flavor was lacking and I used pork chops… which I really didn’t care for too much to be honest. Then I tried it with chicken, chicken just seemed more natural of a fit but the spices were still a bit off. So now since it’s blood orange season yet again, I went all out in round three by toasting and freshly grinding my own spices and upping them so they could really stand out… which did the trick and now I can finally share it with you on this here bloggy-blog.

So that we’re clear, that’s three attempts, three sets of photos and finally a spice-filled, sweet and savory chicken recipe that will rock your socks. 

Start by combining 1 tablespoon each of ground coriander and cumin along with a teaspoon of kosher salt.

Grab four chicken breasts and coat in the spice mixture

Slice some blood oranges in half. Just look at that color?! I could just stare at them forever.

Juice them…

Strain the pulp…

Until you have 3/4 of a cup. That’s about 4 oranges.

Slice up a couple shallots…

And mince up about two teaspoons of fresh rosemary.

Melt two tablespoons of butter in with two tablespoons of light olive oil over medium to medium-high heat.

Lay the chicken breasts into the hot pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until a crust forms and they can flip easily. If they are sticking, they need more time… so only flip when the pan has released them.

Then, turn and pop into a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

The chicken should come out a little darker, and oh-so-fragrant!

Next, remove them to a clean plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Into the pan with the juices add the sliced shallots.

Then, cook until soft and translucent.

Next, pour in the 3/4 cup of blood orange juice, 1/2 cup of chicken and a 1/2 cup of maple syrup.

Then, throw in the two teaspoons of chopped rosemary, stir and reduce until a thick glaze remains… about 8-10 minutes.

Next, return the chicken back to the pan and spoon the glaze over the top.

That’s it! So much flavor and so seemingly simple.

The chicken light, bright and exceptionally moist and flavorful. This spice crusted chicken works with pretty much anything from salad to whipped cauliflower mash to roasted broccoli or all the above. It’s a chicken recipe that my whole family loved and was a year in the making. Totally worth the three efforts I put into it. For sure.

Enjoy! And if you give this spice crusted chicken recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 4 servings

Spice Crusted Chicken + Blood Orange Maple Glaze

Chicken is crusted in an amazing combo of toasted cumin and coriander then glazed with a delicious combo of blood orange, maple and rosemary.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Additional Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon toasted and freshly ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon toasted and freshly ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 2 medium shallots, sliced
• 3/4 cup blood orange juice, strained (about 4 blood oranges)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 400°.
• In a small bowl; combine the cumin, coriander and kosher salt. Season both sides of four chicken breasts using all of the spices in the bowl.
• Add the two tablespoons of butter and olive oil to a large 12-inch oven-safe skillet and heat over medium-medium/high heat.
• Once hot add the chicken in {top side down} and cook for 4-5 minutes or until a nice crust forms and it is easy to turn the chicken. If the chicken sticks, it needs more time.
• Once the crust has formed, flip and slide the whole pan into your preheated oven. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes. Once the chicken is fully cooked, use tongs to transfer the chicken to a clean plate and tent with tin foil to keep warm
• Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add in the sliced shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally until they're soft and translucent. Next, pour in the blood orange juice, chicken broth and maple syrup. Add in the rosemary and black pepper and simmer until reduce by half to 75 % and a thick glaze remains... about 8-10 minutes.
• Taste and season with kosher salt to taste {if needed} and add the chicken back it to warm up a tad more, then spoon the glaze over top of the chicken and serve.

Serving: 1g, Calories: 394kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 780mg, Potassium: 715mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 324IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 2mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Mains & Entrees

Cuisine: American

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