sticky chicken with marmalade and lemon thyme – simply lip smacking

chicken wallowing in the sticky marmalade herby sauce

This recipe is irresistible and lip smackingly good. I had to tear myself away from the pan before I literally dived right into the sauce.  The fact that it is so incredibly easy, consists of 6 ingredients and takes about 20 minutes to make is a very big added bonus. I think thighs would be even more delicious, skin on and all.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (about)
• 300ml chicken stock
• 4 Tbs or so of marmalade, maybe a bit more (the thinner cut the better)
• a good splash, about half a glass of wine (the fact that I used the Woolworth’s limited release Cape Point Vineyards 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, which got 5 stars in platters didn’t do this dish any harm)
• a small handful of finely chopped lemon thyme (Thyme would be fine), or the freeze-dried thyme which I also love and find very convenient (whilst my herb garden is in its conceptual stage)

How easy is this (eyebrow raised with appropriate hand gesture)? How to make:

• Season the chicken breast with salt and black pepper
• heat the oil in a pan and fry the chicken for about 8 – 10 minutes until nice and golden brown (turn over once)

nicely browned and ready for the sauce

• take the chicken pieces out and set aside, then deglaze the pan with about half a glass of white wine – a beautiful, energised splashy bubbly moment – and allow the juice to reduce by half
• pour the stock into the pan, add the thyme and marmalade and heat
• put the chicken back for a couple of minutes
• when the chicken is done remove and place in a serving dish
• turn the heat up high and cook the sauce until its bubbling, reduced by half and starts to take on a nice sticky composition
• pour over the chicken and serve

For me, rice is the perfect accompaniment for this dish, so I whipped up a bit of basmati. I suppose mash or other starches would work.

sticky marmalade and thyme chicken