Orange-Mustard Chicken

Let me begin by stating that this dish did not find favour in the household. Except my sis and me. There, I said it. So, now you have the choice of either hating it or liking it. However, given the fact that this dish was an improvisation on the roast chicken I was planning to make for Christmas, it did not do too badly. I was still under shock at finding cut pieces of chicken instead of the whole one when I made up the recipe. Perhaps the anger showed up in the food as well. Hmm.

Anyway, I had just around half an hour or so before the guests showed up for Christmas dinner. My original plan was to have a leisurely chat with my guests while my chicken roasted slowly in the oven, filling up the house with the aroma of herbs and butter. Instead, there I was, ransacking my kitchen shelf too see what ingredients were there to cook the chicken with. I was trying for something ‘exotic’. Finally, I found half a bottle of orange marmalade and some English mustard. Some vague recollection of a chicken glazed with orange marmalade read elsewhere and I decided to make an orange-mustard chicken.

Now, here is the thing. I made up my own measurements for a dish which I had never cooked, based on my assumptions. Hence, please feel free to change these measurements to suit your own taste. For instance, I put slightly more mustard than the orange marmalade as I wanted a more mustard-y flavor and reduce the sweetness. You can do the opposite if you want a sweeter flavor rather than the tanginess of the mustard. Again, I added some orange juice at the end as the dish seemed too dry. You can avoid that if you want the chicken to be kind of ‘dry-fry’.  So, here is my not-so-exciting orange-mustard chicken. I feel so crest-fallen.

Orange-Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken, cut into medium sized pieces

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

3 tablespoons English mustard

½ cup orange juice (optional)

1 teaspoon lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking

Method:

Marinate the chicken with pepper and lime juice for around an hour. I did not have that luxury. 

Whisk the mustard and orange marmalade and keep aside.

Now, heat oil in a wok and fry the onions and garlic till they turn a nice shade of brown. Next, tip in the marinated chicken. Cover and cook the chicken for around 15 minutes or till it is nearly done. Then, add the mustard-marmalade mixture and stir well. Check for salt and add more pepper, if necessary.  If you want a little gravy, pour in half a cup of orange juice. There, you can now take it off the gas and serve.

The recipe quite worked for sis and me, maybe because we are siblings after all. Then again, it did not have any Indian spices – no turmeric, red chilli, cumin or coriander powder. Maybe that was why it fell flat. How about you becoming my guinea pig and trying this out? And then you will let me know how I can make this dish work, won’t you? Happy experimenting, then!