Chicken in Orange Sauce with Tomato-Squash Strata

I put together a quick baked Chicken in Orange Sauce the other day before I layed down to take a nap before work. I needed something something that would literally cook all by itself so I could could awaken to a hot meal, spend that quality 15-20 minutes with the family, and still get to work on time. So this is a chicken dish you can do in your sleep!

I made two casseroles, one with chicken and one with vegetables. They each required different cooking times, but they would be okay cooking at the same temperature. My chicken dish was simply chicken thighs coated in avocado oil, drizzled with orange juice and seasoned with garlic salt and black pepper. I put the orange rinds in with the chicken and sprinkled it with chopped green onions. I covered the dish with foil and put it into the frig until baking time. This one would need about an hour of baking.

Then I assembled the vegetable casserole. It couldn't get any easier...I just chopped onions to cover the bottom of the square baking dish, drizzled in avocado oil and then layered rows of alternating zucchini, tomato and yellow squash that all came in the box from SLO Veg. More avocado oil drizzled on top, then seasonings: coarse salt, fresh ground black pepper and dried thyme and marjoram. A handful of parmesan cheese on top completed the prep, then the dish was covered and into the frig it went. 

I let my husband have the honors of putting the chicken in the oven to bake about two hours before I needed to leave for work. I asked him to put the vegetable casserole in 30 minutes after the chicken. He is pretty good at following directions, so I had complete confidence in him. When I woke up, I checked on the progress. The dishes just needed some browning, so I removed the foil covers and cranked the oven temp up to 375° for 15 more minutes. During that time I showered and got dressed for work. Then we sat down together and ate dinner and chatted before I had to leave. The dishes, of course, were left for Lee to take care of.  With a full stomach, he didn't mind a bit. 

Recipe:

4 chicken thighs or breasts

Avocado or olive oil

Juice from 2 oranges

garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper

Thyme and marjoram

Put chicken in a glass baking dish and coat with oil. Squeeze orange juice all over chicken. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and marjoram. Cover with foil and bake for one hour at 350°. Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 375°. Bake for 15 more minutes until chicken is browned.

Little Orange Squash Risotto, Braised Kale and Oven-fried Chicken

We got some cute little orange squashes in the tote this week. They are about the same size as an orange, too. I don't know what they are called (Rachel?), but we only got a couple of them, so I figured they should be added to something, rather than served as a dish by themselves. I googled risotto recipes and came up with this one (below).

I also made some oven fried chicken and braised kale, using the same recipe I had outlined in an earlier blog, "Bond girls, braised kale and chicken". Its simply some minced garlic softened in a bit of olive oil in a large saute pan, then you add about a half cup of chicken broth and toss in the trimmed kale. Put the lid on it and let it steamed for at least 10 minutes, then add a couple of dashes of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and You Got Kale!

I cooked a picnic pack of chicken, which had 6 thighs and 6 drumsticks. I made a quick batter using an egg and about a half cup of milk. Then I mixed together a cup each of cornmeal and almond flour with onion and garlic powders, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and rolled each piece of chicken in it. The chicken went onto an oiled baking sheet and baked in a 375 degree oven for an hour. 

It was a good thing I started early, because the risotto a lot longer than the recipesaid. I suppose it is because I used the wild rice blend instead of the traditional Arborio rice. 

Squash Risotto

• 2 cups squash
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 C onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (e.g. Chardonnay)
• 1 cup wild rice blend
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste

Peel and cube butternut squash.  Place in a large basking dish coasted with oil.  Roast in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes, turning the squash with a spatula halfway through.
When removing from oven, add squash to large pot, covering in the chicken broth.  Let simmer on low, leaving squash cubed.
Meanwhile, sautee minced onion and garlic in butter until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add rice and stir until rice is coated in butter.
Add sage and white wine.  Let simmer until wine is mostly absorbed, about 3 minutes.
Slowly add in chicken broth, one ladle at a time.  Let rice absorb and then add another ladleful until most of the broth is absorbed and the rice becomes creamy. Stir slowly and constantly. Process will take about 20 minutes.
Once all liquid is absorbed into rice, remove from heat.  Mash the butternut squash with a masher or fork.  Add to rice and stir well.  Add parmesan, salt and pepper.

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