Baked Mandarin Chicken Breasts

Baked Mandarin Orange Chicken Breasts served in a scrumptious citrus based sauce!

Try this Baked Mandarin Chicken Breasts Recipe to add a note of sunny citrus to a gloomy winter day! Cold weather is coming and although it is only mid-October, here in the Maine North Woods we have already had our first snowstorm.  It was only an inch of snow, and it melted the next day but it is harbinger of what is to come - the dreaded long, cold northern Maine winter. This time of the year, I do my fall cleaning; I swap out our summer wardrobe for a warmer winter one; and I change up my recipe file for my fall/winter recipes.  Out with the cool summer salads and the grilled entrees, and in with my baked, roasted, and casserole recipes to keep us toasty warm with "stick to your ribs" winter goodness.

I love chicken because you can prepare it so many ways that it never gets boring.  Although chicken alone has a very bland, neutral taste, it is the perfect "canvas" to use your creativity to "paint" numerous culinary masterpieces using a large palette of herbs, spices, and sauces.  With this recipe we are combining orange with some herbs to create a incredibly tender chicken with an aromatic and delicious sauce.  Serve over a bed of rice for a perfect entrée.

Baked Mandarin Chicken Breasts

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Tender, moist, and totally delicious, this recipe uses the pan juices from the cooking process to create a stunning sauce.

• Author: The Wilderness Wife
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Entree
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 1 can (about 11 oz.) mandarin orange slices
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh basil
• ½ cup diced onions
• 1 bay leaf
• water
• 2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ tbs. corn starch

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large oven-safe covered skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Mix flour, onion powder, garlic, paprika, pepper and salt in medium bowl.
4. Dredge chicken in flour mixture to coat thoroughly.
5. Brown on all sides in skillet till golden brown. Remove chicken from the skillet.
6. Deglaze skillet with chicken broth being sure to scrape all the crusty brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
7. Drain orange slices reserving liquid from the can.
8. Add liquid from orange slices, chopped rosemary, chopped basil, onions, and bay leaf to skillet.
9. Place chicken breasts back in skillet, cover, and place in oven for 35-40minutes.
10. Remove pan from oven, and take chicken breasts out of pan to rest, covered with foil, on a plate.
11. Remove bay leaf from skillet and discard.
12. Add lemon juice and ½ c. water to skillet and stir blending well.
13. Mix corn starch with 3 tbs. of cold water and add to skillet stirring to blend.
14. Bring to a boil and stir until sauce thickens. Add more chicken stock if sauce is too thick. Add mandarin orange slices to sauce and use a few to garnish the platter of chicken.
15. Serve sauce poured over chicken on platter.