French Orange Dijon Chicken

“This post has been sponsored by Sunkist Growers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Love a good citrus chicken? This French Orange Dijon Chicken recipe is a classic. With a trio of juicy sweet oranges, this easy chicken skillet dinner is saucy and delicious. Use Sunkist® Cara Cara, Navel and Blood Oranges to make this luscious citrusy dijon chicken. Great with orzo or egg noodles.

The inspiration behind this orange dijon chicken recipe

I LOVE FRESH CITRUS… and my Winn Dixie was busting with Sunkist citrus when I did my shopping last week.

They had all my favorite varieties in a beautiful display in the produce section

There were Navel Oranges, Cara Cara Oranges (you know how much I like them in a margarita) and Blood Oranges with their distinctive, vibrant interiors.

The produce section at my Winn Dixie is abundant and fresh, packed with fruits and vegetables that are always at their peak.

I give Winn Dixie credit for their gorgeous displays — because when I see mounds of fresh produce like they had, I become like a kid in a candy store… Eyes wide in anticipation and my sense of control is LOST.

You can buy and save now at SunkistShopperHub.com

I ended up with all three varieties in my cart and I arrived home loaded with citrus and a Cheshire cat grin on my face.

Eager to dive in, this French Orange Dijon Chicken was the first thing I made with my Sunkist citrus.

What makes these oranges special?

Blood oranges:

• Contain 80% DV of Vitamin C. They’re also a good source of fiber, folate and thiamin.
• Blood Oranges have a natural red blush to their skin, which translates to a deep maroon interior, a telltale sign of the naturally present anthocyanins – plant pigments that contain antioxidants.
• Their sweet orange flavor also has hints of raspberry.
• Blood Oranges are available from December through June.

Cara Cara oranges:

• Packed with Vitamin C (100% in a 154-gram serving size), a good source of fiber and folate and they’re fat, sodium and cholesterol-free. Because of their abundance of nutrients, Cara Cara Oranges are branded by Sunkist as “The Power Orange®”.
• Cara Cara Oranges may look like a Navel Orange on the outside, but they’ve got the most wonderful pink interior (because of lycopene that’s naturally present in the fruit) and they’re extremely sweet, with low acidity.
• Cara Cara Oranges are available from December through May, so get them while you can.

Navel oranges:

• Of course, they’re an excellent source of Vitamin C (90% recommended DV), and a good source of fiber (11% DV) and folate (10% DV).
• Fun-Fact: Navel Oranges are called that because of the “navel-like” formation on their blossom end.
• They are sweet, juicy and floral with a light tanginess. Navels are also seedless, making them a lunchbox favorite.
• You can find Navel Oranges from November through June

This recipe naturally starts with the star of the show…the citrus. I squeezed some of it to make fresh orange juice for the sauce as well as segmenting the fruit for tangy, sweet bites of orange throughout the Dijon Chicken recipe.

Orange dijon chicken ingredients

Prep the oranges first

• The recipe comes together pretty quickly, so my advice is to prep the Cara Cara, Navel and Blood Oranges before you start on the dijon chicken.
• You’ll need about 1 cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice for the recipe. I used the Cara Cara and Navel Oranges for the juice, just to keep it a sunny yellow color. You can use the Blood Oranges too if you like, but it will turn the color of your sauce into a deeper hue.
• Use your favorite citrus juicer to squeeze the fruit. I needed 2 Cara Cara and 2 Navel Oranges to make 1 cup of juice.

Segmenting oranges is easy to do, once you’ve got the hang of it.

How to segment oranges:

• Slice off the top and bottom of the orange so it can sit upright without rolling around. This makes it easier to remove the peel.
• Use a sharp knife and cut along the natural curve of the fruit so the actual flesh is exposed and the peel is removed. Try to cut just beneath the pith without removing too much of the natural orange flesh.
• Slice between the segments in a “V shape”, following the natural contours of the fruit, until its loosened from the orange.
• Continue in this fashion until you’ve segmented the Cara Cara, Blood and Navel Oranges Click here for detailed instructions on supreming.

Transfer the oranges to a bowl and set aside while you start the orange dijon chicken.

I recommend using a large nonstick skillet with 3? high sides and a tight-fitting lid for this recipe. You want the skillet to be deep enough to handle the chicken, vegetables, citrus and the silky sauce.

Dredging & searing chicken breasts

• To get a crusty, golden look on the chicken breasts, I used a simple flour dredge with salt, pepper and a little cayenne.
• Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel.
• Mix the dredge in a small rimmed baking dish and lightly coat the chicken breasts in the flour mixture.
• Heat olive oil in the nonstick skillet until it’s hot, then add the chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until they’re crusty and golden.
• Transfer the chicken to another platter.

Leeks are like a cross between an onion and garlic. They’re milder, sweeter and meltingly tender when sautéed with a little olive oil and butter. Leeks are a classic ingredient in French cooking, which is why I used them in the French Orange Dijon Chicken.

You must pay special attention to cleaning leeks because dirt and debris often grow within their broad sheath-like cylinders. Here’s how to do it:

Cleaning leeks

• Trim the root and dark green parts from the leeks. • Slice the leeks in half, lengthwise, then cut them into 1/2? pieces crosswise.
• Transfer the leeks to a large bowl of cool water.
• Use your hands to vigorously swish the leeks in the water, to agitate any debris.
• Dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl, so don’t dump the leeks out into a strainer. Instead, lift the leeks out of the bowl and transfer to a salad spinner. (Check the bowl, the dirt will sink to the bottom.)
• Spin until the leeks are completely dry.

Tips for cooking leeks

• Keep the heat moderate, so you don’t brown the vegetable, but rather, just soften them.
• As they cook, the leeks will give up some moisture and start to “melt”.
• Sauté the leeks until they’re tender and slightly translucent. Now they’re ready for the seasonings.

Finishing Orange Dijon Chicken

Along with whole grain dijon mustard, honey and thyme, the dijon chicken is flavored with the bright and lively fresh citrus flavors of Cara Cara, Navel and Blood Oranges.

It starts with the sauce. Stir in the freshly squeezed orange juice and add chicken broth and a little vermouth. The orange juice gives the sauce a floral sweetness while the chicken broth, vermouth and a swirl of butter will mellow and round out the flavors and make an unctuous, creamy sauce you’ll want to spoon over everything.

After you bring the sauce to a simmer, add the chicken breasts back to the pan and cover tightly with the lid, so the chicken can finish cooking. It’ll only take 5-10 more minutes on gentle heat to cook the chicken through.

Note: If you’d like your sauce a little thicker, you can add a cornstarch slurry (directions given in the recipe card, below).

Add in the reserved orange segments and the French orange dijon chicken is ready to enjoy.

What to serve with Orange Dijon Chicken:

• Cooked orzo or egg noodles
• Browned Butter Sea Salt Mashed Potatoes
• Cooked couscous with butter and parsley
• Cooked white, brown or wild rice

FAQ’s

Obviously, I had more Navel, Cara Cara and Blood Oranges after this recipe and you will too!

Using the extra oranges, I parsed out some of the fruit for a fresh citrus salad, used the rinds for candied orange peels — and saved the syrup (that I candied the peels in) in lieu of a simple syrup for cocktails… Nothing goes to waste!

Here’s some more fun ideas for your oranges:

• Soused Irish Whiskey Orange Bundt Cake
• Aromatic Duck Rillettes (yes, it’s got orange in it!)
• Orange Currant Breakfast Scones
• Tropical Blood Orange Smoothie

Check out the SunkistShopperHub.com for coupons, more recipes and to shop ingredients or head to your nearest Winn Dixie to pick up some Sunkist citrus for a fresh citrus-fest in your own kitchen.

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