While I’ve always been the beneficiary of homemade marmalade, a jar from the lovely Tea, and most recently, a jar from my good friend Kyla, I’ve never purchased any for myself. So when I recently came home with a jar of the store-bought stuff, my husband groaned because for him marmalade means false teeth and grandpa cardigans. Since we’ve already got a closet full of grandpa sweaters, I’m guessing we’re now officially on the fast-track to Elderly Town. I haven’t eaten marmalade on toast (nor do I think I’m ready to venture there yet) but I have used it to add punch to fruit salads and a kick to a napa cabbage slaw. One of these days, I’ll use it to make this cake to great acclaim, I’m sure.
This past week, I decided to try some of my store-bought marmalade with chicken. Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and a dollop or two of marmalade gave these locally-raised, organic chicken thighs some serious flavour and created a wonderful tangy sauce. I used boneless thighs because that’s what I had, but if you’ve got the bone-in variety, just let the whole thing simmer longer on the stovetop and increase the amount of chicken stock. You’ll be fine. This is a truly comforting dish, so make sure you’ve got your grandpa cardigan and some woolen slippers at the ready!
sweet & sour marmalade chicken
2 T flour
1 t herbes de provence
salt & pepper
1 T olive oil
4 boneless chicken thighs, skin & fat removed
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 t chili flakes
2 c chicken stock
2 T dijon mustard
3 T orange marmalade
1 T cider vinegar
juice & zest of 1 orange (I used a sour tangelo)
1 t cornstarch1. Add herbes du provence, salt and pepper to flour, mixing with a fork. Rinse chicken, lightly pat dry and dredge with seasoned flour.
2. Add oil to large skillet and brown chicken on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken and add in onions, red peppers and chili flakes. Saute until soft and fragrant. Add the chicken back into the pan along with the stock, dijon mustard and marmalade. Stir gently and simmer over low heat until the liquid reduces and thickens, about 20 minutes.
3. Mix together the cider vinegar, orange juice and zest and cornstarch and pour into skillet. Stir it around and let it simmer for a couple minutes. Give it a taste to adjust seasoning and serve.
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marmelade=grandpa sweaters/slippers? Au contraire!! It is the nectar of the gods!! especially the variety made of blood orange or even delightful grapefruit marmalade… on freshly made english muffins w/ fresh butter! Ah truly divine! But I have to admit my hubby feels the same way. (and i’ve been eating the stuff every since i was introduced to it as a young child… hmm about the same time as i was introduced to nutella! gotta love livin’ in germany as a kid! good hearty whole grain breads with nutella for breakfast!!!)
NOw back to your recipe! This will be a definite hit with our boys especially with the chili flakes! Thank you for the inspiration!! I see this, fresh broccoli, and baguettes for dinner this sunday!
This sounds delicious! I never eat marmalade but I like the idea of it, but I had a weird craving for it on Friday and I came *this* close to buying a jar of Bonne Maman marmalade this weekend since it’s on sale at Choices. Now I guess I’ll just have to. Huzzah!
Peggy, I’m glad you are sticking up for your right to love marmalade! Both my husband and I associate with grandpas since both of ours loved the stuff. I’ll have to give it a try on a scone, like you mentioned. I also admit to not really caring one way or the other about Nutella. Did I say that out loud?
Lydia, I used Bonne Maman here but trust me in my new-found marmalade experience, it was the worst marmalade I’ve tried. I should mention that the other 2 were homemade. Bonne Maman’s was sweet – overtly so, but it works well in other dishes like this. Enjoy!
Yum!Yum! Sheer genious…marmalade with chicken. Who would have thunk? LOL! Like you, I am not a marmalade on toast person but I have used the remnants of a jar of cherry jam with olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a salad dressing and it was lip smacking good! As for grandpa cardigans, I’ll leave that up to my other half, who coincidentally has a few already and is also watching his cholesterol and fat intake diligently. Could false teeth be far behind? Eww!
Oh no! Grandpa cardigans? I just made 4 batches of homemade marmalade last week! 🙂
I’d never ever had marmalade but my roommate’s mom bought it for us a few months ago and it has somehow ended up, opened, in my fridge. Weird because she doesn’t eat it either. At least now I have something I can do with it! This chicken sounds delicious.
I didn’t grow up eating much marmalade, so I’m sure whatever I did have was from the store. Now that I’m in citrus country, I felt compelled to make a batch of my own marmalade. I can understand your hesitation in buying it from the store, b/c WOW, is homemade marmalade incredible! I control the sugar, too, which is a huge plus for me. But it certainly looks like you made the best of that store-bought marmalade! The addition of chili flakes, Dijon and cider vinegar was a smart one — always good friends of marmalade in my mind.
Cheers,
*Heather*
I do have a few grandpa cardigans around the house — reminders of my dad — and I love marmalade (as did he). So this is a perfect recipe for Friday night dinner with the vague nephew and his somewhat less vague girlfriend. It will (also) be a good way to use some of the 70+ jars of marmalade we made two weeks ago from the ambitious 20-pound supply of Seville oranges that the local Whole Foods so graciously (!!) ordered on our behalf.
I love granpa cardigans…can anything be cozier on a cold, winter day? Marmalade reminds me of a friends cat who was named in honour of the delicious, much maligned condiment. I love your recipe and hope to make a big pot of it this weekend, hopefully while wearing my favourite cardigan…
Bijoux, I’m sure you got that cherry jam trick from me! It’s a good one. Let’s hope the false teeth are just a nightmare 🙂
Rowdy Cowgirl, didn’t mean to offend! Enjoy the marmalade and try it with this chicken.
Enjoy, Joanne!
Heather, homemade certainly beats any store bought variety & controlling the sugar is a huge plus. Give this a try, it’s a beaut.
20lbs of Seville oranges? Avice, I’m jealous. The markets around here should be stocking them soon, and who knows, maybe I’ll try my hand at making my own! Enjoy the dinner with the vagues 🙂
Tanya, marmalade is a great name for a cat! Get on your cardigan and make this meal for a very cozy weekend.
The flavors of this dish must be amazing! I think my kids might even eat this one.
Yesiree Kickpleat – it’s your jam trick! I had previously used the same idea with near empty mayo and mustard jars and loved the results.
Wow, this looks and sounds great. I’ve never cooked with marmalade but the combination of orange zest, Dijon mustard, and cider vinegar sounds intriguing. I’ve clipped this recipe and look forward to trying it.
No, I love it on toast! I had it when we were in France for my husband’s design competition and forever remember that moment of delicious bright orange sweet flavor with a fresh baguette…I want to go back so badly now! The chicken looks delicious. Sounds like the perfect flavor combination! As always, beautiful dinner!
That looks soooooooo good!
Lisa, I bet you your kids would! It’s tasty 🙂
Bijoux, nothing beats homemade dressing!
Rivki, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. It’s got the perfect balance of sweet and sour!
Okay, Sarena, I’ll have to give it a go! Marmalade on a baguette does sound kinda nice…especially if it’s in Paris!
Thanks Jan!
Wait a sec – what are the implications of marmalade on toast? 🙂 I rarely venture beyond its most conventional applications (ie, toast.) But I love this. And I love that you prefer to use it in interesting and innovative ways.
Don’t worry! I have lots of cardigans as well…nothing wrong with it!
When I was in Hawaii we kept getting Pineapple-Orange marmalade for breakfast…so good! I wish I had brought some home and made this recipe! But I’m still going to try it with just regular orange marmalade!
Hope your well
I always get marmalade for Christmas from several colleagues who do fruit and jam baskets and I have a bunch of it in my pantry..I’ll definitely have to try this one!
Thanks!
Very creative! I can almost taste the tangy kick now 🙂
Oooooh, wow. What a wonderful way to use up the marmalade, used once in its lifetime of at least four months, that will otherwise sit in my pantry until I move house.
I’ve been MIA for a while, but I’m glad I showed up for this recipe. I love marmalade, but I prefer homemade simply because store-bought varieties tend to be either too bitter or too sweet for my tastes.
If you get kumquats where you live, I can’t recommend homemade kumquat marmalade – sweet, tart, and with just the right amount of bitterness (and because kumquat peel is edible, you can use a lot less sugar than with orange, grapefruit, or lemon marmalade.
I’ve been fighting the urge to make marmalade this winter – I am swimming in preserves as it is – but I think I may need to buy a big bag of oranges at the market next week and just go wild. And having something other than toast and baked goods to use it for will be a good thing 🙂
Sorry Kimberly, I didn’t mean to insult anyone 🙂 I will give it a go on toast, just to see what all the fuss is about!
Eva, sounds like I need to get to Hawaii, stat!
RMW, give it a try, it’s a fantastic recipe.
Thanks Nicole, it definitely has kick.
Francesca, use it up – no need to delay it for another lifetime.
Margie, homemade is always best. Now I’m totally jonesing for a kumquat marmalade – I’m in Chinatown, so they are easy to find around here.
This sounds delicious, sharing this post on my Wednesday and wandering links, thanks!
Thanks Melynda!
Yum!! Your pictures are making my mouth water. Can’t wait to give this recipe a shot.
Thanks ELK!
I don’t cook much, but I’ve been wanting to give this one a try. All it took was a cold, rainy day in So.Cal and I was in the kitchen enjoying the heavenly aroma and great taste of your comforting chicken dish. Love it, will make again!
I made this, we really enjoyed it. The sauce is rich and only a little spicy, and the double cooking (saute then simmer in sauce) mellows the onions and peppers. I’m really impressed that so little oil was needed to make this. And thighs are a great choice because they don’t toughen like chicken breasts after simmer. I used Meyer lemons from my backyard tree instead of oranges. Finally, do you know if lemons could be shipped to Vancouver? I’d be happy to ship you some if I knew they could pass the border.
Hi Robert, I’m glad you liked the recipe – perfect for thighs! I love that you have a Meyer lemon tree in your yard. I did a quick google check and I know it’s easy to bring lemons over the border into BC when border crossing, but I’m not sure about sending via mail. That’s a lovely offer & one I’ll research further 🙂 Thanks!!!