Name: Orange-Glazed Chicken
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons grated zest plus 1/2 cup juice from 3 to 4 oranges; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/4 cup salt; 1 quart water; 4 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts (about 3 pounds), ribs removed and halved crosswise; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

Borrowing a technique from previous test kitchen recipes, we weighed down the breasts for our Orange-Glazed Chicken with a Dutch oven as they cooked. The weight pressed out the fat and allowed the skin to crisp up nicely. After our initial tests, we discovered that roasting the breasts in the oven was unnecessary. Cooking them completely in the skillet had no ill effects. Processing the salt used in our brine with orange zest prior to dissolving it in water released the oils in the zest that the salt then carried deep into our chicken.

Before You Begin

The fat will render best if you pat the chicken thoroughly dry after you remove it from the brine.

Instructions

Whisk orange juice, ½ teaspoon orange zest, sugar, cornstarch, and cayenne in medium bowl until no lumps remain; set aside. Process salt and remaining zest in food processor until finely ground. Whisk water and orange salt in large bowl until salt dissolves. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Cover bottom of Dutch oven with aluminum foil. Remove chicken from brine and discard brine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chicken skin-side down in skillet and weight with prepared Dutch oven. Cook until very well browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pot and flip chicken skin-side up. Reduce heat to medium and cook until meat registers 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and let rest 5 minutes.

Pour off fat from pan and discard. Add orange juice mixture to now-empty skillet and bring to boil over medium heat. Return chicken, skin-side up, and any accumulated juices to skillet and simmer until sauce is thick and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn chicken to coat. Serve.