Recipe History
27 years ago when my husband, Mel and I were married, he was planning on enrolling in the culinary institute. Some of our family gave us a set of cook books from the California Culinary Academy as a wedding gift and we have treasured them ever since. While Mel did work in the restaurant industry for many years he ultimately decide against pursuing that career path, but we still enjoy cooking together. (I’ll share some of his grilling tricks and tips in later posts.)
One of the CCA cookbooks they gave us was “Affordable Elegant Meals”. It’s full of great dinner ideas, but one recipe in particular stood out. The original recipe was called Honey-Glazed Baked Chicken Quarters. I made it for our 1st Valentine’s Day as a married couple and it’s been a favorite ever since. I have modified it over the years (as I tend to do with most recipes).
Modifications
I used to not like ginger (I do now) so from the very first time I made it, I’ve always left that ingredient out. Another time, I realized halfway through the recipe I was out of lemons so I substituted fresh oranges from our tree. That was a big change that really stuck well and let to the creation of Honey Orange Chicken. I also prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts so that was another change I made early on. If you use chicken piece with the bones and skin, be sure to add 10 mins cooking time to both sides.
UPDATE: Since writing this post, I’ve since started using chicken tenderloins instead of breasts. You can reduce the cooking time to 20 mins each side if you use tenderloins.
We love serving this dish with steamed white rice and I’ve learned to double the sauce so there’s plenty to drizzle over the rice too.
This is nothing like traditional Orange Chicken from your local Asian restaurant. My Honey Orange Chicken isn’t breaded, but still has a sweet sticky sauce you’ll love!
Give both recipes a try and see which one is your favorite!
Looking for more great chicken recipes? Try my Chicken with Caramelized Onions!
Rhonda Sue’s Honey Orange Chicken
This delicious chicken dish is a family favorite. Served with steamed rice and drizzled with extra sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 C Corn Starch
- 2 tsp California Blend Garlic Powder
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1/2 C Butter, melted + 2 Tbs un-melted for pan
- 1/2 C Honey
- 1/3 C Fresh Juice from an Orange
- 1/4 C Kikkoman Soy Sauce
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350° F. Place 2 Tablespoons of un-melted butter in 9×13 glass baking dish and place in the cold oven. As the oven warms up the dish, the butter will melt. (Be sure to keep an eye on the butter so it doesn't scorch)
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Combine cornstarch and garlic powder. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and fully coat with flour mixture.
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When the butter is melted, remove the dish from the oven. Be careful because it will be hot. Place the flour coated chicken breast in the hot, buttered dish. Bake uncovered for 30 mins.
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While the chicken is baking, combine the remaining butter, honey, juice from an orange, and soy sauce in a small bowl. A whisk works best.
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Remove the baking dish from the oven. Flip each chicken piece over and evenly cover with butter mixture. Return chicken to the oven for another 25 – 30 minutes.
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Served chicken with sauce drizzled over top and with steamed rice. (This recipe is already doubled to allow extra sauce to drizzle over the rice too.)
Recipe Notes
I prefer using the California Blend Garlic Powder that has parsley mixed in it opposed to regular garlic powder. You can use either in this recipe.
Flour can be substituted for corn starch if you prefer. I use corn starch to make this recipe gluten free.
Fresh squeezed juice from an orange is not the same as orange juice. Store bought orange juice has added sugar and will change the flavor of the recipe. Use a fresh orange if you can.
You can also use lemon juice instead of orange to make a Honey Lemon Chicken dish. It’s delicious!
Honey-Glazed Baked Chicken Quarters
Ingredients
- 1/3 C Flour
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- Dash Pepper
- 3 – 3 1/2 lbs Chicken, quartered
- 6 Tbs Butter
- 1/4 C Honey
- 3 Tbs Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbs Soy Sauce
- Dash Ground Ginger
Instructions
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Mix flour, garlic salt, and pepper, then coat chicken quarters thoroughly. As oven preheats to 350° F, melt 2 Tbs of the butter in a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken, skin side down, in butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 Tbs butter with honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, and ginger. When chicken has baked 30 minutes, turn it skin side up. Evenly pour on butter mixture. Continue baking, brushing occasionally with sauce, until chicken is tender and richly browned (30 to 40 minutes more).