Citrus Glazed Chicken

This recipe is an oldie but a definite goody! I discovered it back in 2006 while trying to put together the perfect Valentine's dinner for Chris. I had just gotten back from my semester abroad and Chris had just transferred to ACU, so we spent a lot of time together! Since I was in my last semester in the dorms and he was in an apartment, we spent many evenings in his tiny kitchen experimenting with new recipes.

Throughout our remaining four semesters of college, I probably made this chicken 5 or 6 times. But honestly, it has been tucked away in the back of my mind for at least two years. Chris has mentioned it a few times but I didn't think much about the request until he asked to have it alongside his mother's famous lemon chicken at his birthday party! I realized this chicken must be pretty special is he wanted it for his birthday. And although I didn't make it for his party (I was concerned there might be too many cooks in the kitchen to coordinate that) I made a promise to cook it soon.

Well it turns out soon was this weekend. I remembered it being tasty, but oh man, I had forgotten just how much we loved it! I can't seem to find words that describe the sheer brilliance of this citrus sauce, but I can promise, you will not be disappointed!

*Instead of chicken thighs, we prefer to use chicken breasts (both for lower fat content and for the fact that we don't love the taste of chicken thighs), but that would all depend on your personal taste. And another thing, I prefer to use fresh ginger and garlic instead of the bottled variety used in this recipe.

One thing is for sure though, this is definitely something I will make more often!

Citrus Glazed Chicken
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
12 (2-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag, and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally. Remove chicken, reserving marinade.
Preheat broiler.
Place chicken on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray; broil 8 minutes on each side or until done.
While chicken cooks, place reserved marinade, flour, and salt in a small saucepan, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve sauce with chicken.