… is there anything more evocative of far-away summers than the exotic smell of lemongrass? I simply love it …but rarely use it… not sure what thats all about… perhaps I like treating myself to the taste and if I have it too much it wont seem so special…?
I guess this dish is my version of ‘flipping the bird’ to all those holiday adverts currently on TV… my house fills with the tantalising sunshine-smell of oranges and lemongrass and I can dream about sinking my toes into hot sand… aaahhhh…
… plus this dish is extra-frugal, which is perfect for the first week of Jan when we all need to be hunting around the back of the fridge rather than hunting the bargains at Waitrose… (yeah… who am I kidding?) … oh and yes it’s good old chicken-thigh time again!
… i’ve used oranges, lemongrass and I even found an old jar of Mexican Orange Blossom honey, which I didn’t even know was back there… I love the fact that there’s so much orange colour going on in this dish, you almost have to wear sunglasses to look into the oven!
… the wine will soak up all the juices and make an incredible fruity sauce to serve poured over rice or mash with the chicken… the lemongrass will give the sauce a kick that cuts through the sweet honey…
… might just help me mentally prepare for returning to London next week to do some actual work…
orange and lemongrass roasted chicken thighs
8 chicken thighs (these come in a pack in most supermarkets and are super-cheap)
1 orange – quartered
1 stick of lemongrass roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion – quartered
1 celery – roughly chopped
1 carrot – roughly chopped
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil (olive oil will do I suppose)
1 glass of white wine (any old wine, I had a glass-full left over from NYE believe it or not!)
– chop all the veg and place in the bottom of a shallow roasting dish and season (leave the garlic whole… don’t even bother to peel)
– mix the honey and oil in a bowl and turn the chicken thighs in the glorious sticky liquid
– place the thighs on top of the veg, poor over the wine, season and bake in a hot oven for 1 and a half hours until golden and crispy… turn the chicken every half hour to stop from going too black.
eat and of course, enjoy!
Yum scrum pigs bum, as they say (or at least I do) in our house. I'll give that one a go for sure.
Thank you
Yowzaa! I am SO going to make this with the other half of the bargain pack of chicken thighs that I just got for a steal at market!
All that citrus! What a treat! Like summer in the pan!
ALSO … thought of you and your 'chicken a week' today when I saw Peri-Peri Chicken in the Top 9 on Foodbuzz … check it out!
The orange honey glaze on the chicken look fantastic!
I love lemongrass too but also rarely use it. This chicken dish looks positively orange and delicious.
I saw the rapeseed oil you suggested when I was in London few days ago but I wasn't sure if it was the one. Argh!!
totally with you on the lemongrass thing …. really should use it more often. Love the look and sound of this chicken dish – just what the doctor ordered.
That was positively what I need to lift me out of this January gloom.Roll on summer!
Happy New Year BTW!
Oh boy does that sound good! I love lemongrass but it seems so hard to get hold of that I hardly use it either. Great minds think alike though Dom, I have been in the kitchen making my own version of sunshine just as you have, only mine is in the form of passionfruit curd – tropical climes await ;0)
Gorgeous! one for the scrap book Dom!
xLiz
Your chicken recipe sounds delicious! I will try it with my chicken breast that I just purchased! I've never used lemongrass and I'm sure my local market doesn't carry it, heck, they have probably never heard of it! I now have an excuse to go to Whole Foods Market, I'm sure they have it. I'm also on the lookout for truffle butter for another recipe. Have you ever used truffle butter? Have a great day!
Lucky for me, I'd actually planned on snagging up some lemongrass at the store later on today. Guess I'll add oranges on there too! This looks absolutely stunning!
I'll definitely have a go at this…..funnily enough it's ages since I've used oranges in savoury cooking but added some to carrot soup today.
And the lemon grass definitely conjures up images of warmer climes….mmm….
I will definitely make this. My town borders a city that has a large Asian population. The supermarket near me has the best Asian ingredients. They always have lemon grass. Can't wait.
yum yum !! perfect!
I love new recipes that use chicken thighs. I also happen to love the flavor of lemon grass. Ergo, this is a must try. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary
yum ~ i see lemongrass here in our markets and am never too sure what to do with it…now i know what i am doing with it….
looks great, my friend
kary and teddy
xxx
🙂
Gorgeous colour. I spent an entire 2 weeks (seemingly) weeding lemongrass in Australia once. Was able to use it prolifically in cooking, though mostly used it for tea. Just the smell brings back great memories.
I'm back to work tomorrow and feeling decidedly glum 🙁
thanks all for the kind words… I had some left cold the next day with a salad and the orangey tang worked really well with a fresh crispy lettuce… love extending meals!
@ choclette… I too am back to work tomorrow and think I may have had a mini breakdown today… totally under-the-moon about the whole thing and want to change my life!…
This does look deliciously like summer – at least I think it does. I can't quite remember what summer feels like at the moment, it's too cold. I hope going back to work wasn't too depressing. Personally, I've been to Waitrose – leftover Christmas cake is very, very cheap at the moment.
This sounds divine! And you've reminded me that it's ages since I bought organic chicken thighs in Sainsbury's which are usually an absolute bargain.
Yummers! Those chicken thighs look delish, and never would've thought to put them with lemongrass – good idea x
Great recipe to add to my list of must tries! It sounds delicious!
I'm with you on this, it's lovely to have something that smells of holidays in hot places at this time of year when it's all dark and damp.
Not sure if it's considered cheating but I can't always find lemongrass when I need it so I just keep some of the ready chopped stuff in the freezer
not cheating at all Sophie… although i have been told (by Chele I think?) that Lemongrass is dead easy to grow… simply stick a piece in some soil in a pot and grow it on your kitchen window ledge… grows like bamboo!