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chicken with orange sauce served with rice on a plate.
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4.85 from 13 votes

Chicken with Orange Sauce

Chicken with orange sauce is an easy dinner made with pan-fried chicken breast and a smooth, fresh orange sauce made with orange juice, zest, and butter.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Chicken Breast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 433kcal
Author: Adina Beck

Equipment

  • Small saucepan
  • Skillet or frying pan
  • Meat mallet optional, Note 1
  • Fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

Orange sauce:

  • 2 large oranges you will need 1 teaspoon zest and ¾ cup/ 200 ml juice, Note 2
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
  • ¾ cup chicken stock
  • 1-2 tablespoons cognac to taste (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter
  • fine sea salt and black pepper

Pan-fried chicken:

  • 2-4 chicken breasts depending on size, Note 3
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • some sweet paprika or other spices of choice
  • fine sea salt and black pepper
US - EU

Instructions

  • Sauce: Start by making the sauce; it needs to cook a little longer than the chicken.
  • Oranges: Zest one orange; you will need about 1 teaspoon zest. Juice both oranges; you will need 200 ml/ ¾ cup orange juice.
    2 large oranges
  • Caramelize the sugar in a small saucepan. Add the orange juice and the chicken stock and stir to dissolve the sugar clumps.
    1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar + ¾ cup chicken stock
  • Reduce: Add the orange zest, bring everything to a boil, and reduce this liquid to half. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Sieve: Add salt, pepper, and 1 or 2 tablespoons cognac to taste (optional) and sieve the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
    fine sea salt and black pepper + 1-2 tablespoons cognac
  • Add butter: Pour the sauce back into the saucepan. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add the cubes to the sauce, one after another, while stirring all the time. The sauce needs to be served immediately.
    2 tablespoons cold butter
  • Chicken: While the sauce is cooking, prepare the chicken breasts. If you have 2 large chicken breasts, slice them diagonally to obtain 2 thinner pieces.
    2-4 chicken breasts
  • Pound: Place the chicken breasts between 2 layers of plastic foil and pound them using a meat pounder. Make sure that the chicken pieces are evenly thick all over. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, and pepper on both sides. You can choose other spices if you wish.
    fine sea salt and black pepper + some sweet paprika
  • Cook: Heat the olive oil in a large, cast iron pan. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Do not overcook!
    2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Rest: Place on a warm plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes or until the sauce is ready.

Notes

  1. Meat mallet: If you don't have one, you can pound the meat with a small, heavy pan. 
  2. Oranges: Make sure that you use unwaxed oranges that are suitable for zesting.
  3. Chicken: You will need 4 chicken breast portions of about 150 g/ 5.5 oz each.

Nutrition

Serving: 1chicken breast with sauce | Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 497mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g