I seem to be on a grilling trend lately now that the weather has warmed up, and one of my favorite things to grill are chicken thighs. I grew up thinking I was a white meat only girl, and never even gave chicken thighs or legs a chance until the past few years. I now prefer thighs over breast meat, and like the price even more!
Best of all, thighs grill up beautifully, and never seem to dry out. I often just marinade the thighs with Italian seasonings, garlic, lemon and olive oil, and then grill them without any sauce. Last week however I was feeling adventurous and decided to grill them without marinading them first, and began to combine a few ingredients that I thought would create a great tasting sauce.
I grabbed a jar of my homemade orange marmalade, fresh ginger & garlic, a touch of soy sauce, and one red hot pepper for heat. Yes, I know soy sauce isn’t really a key ingredient in an Italian pantry, but it did add a nice depth to the sauce. The sauce turned out delicious and really made simple chicken thighs something special.
Although we like a bit of spice in our food, feel free to leave out the red pepper if you prefer. To keep this dish as healthy as possible, I remove the skin and trim away any excess fat from my thighs also.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Spicy Orange Grilled Chicken Thighs
A spicy, sweet orange sauce turns simple chicken thighs into something special.
Ingredients
- 8 Medium Chicken Thighs
- 1 Cup Low Sugar Orange Marmalade
- 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
- 2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled & Chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Small Red Hot Pepper (Optional)
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- 3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Remove skin from the thighs and trim away any fat.
- In a small bowl mix together the marmalade, ginger, red pepper, garlic & soy sauce, then season with salt and pepper.
- Use a hand mixer/wand to blend the sauce until smooth.
- Stir in the parsley and set aside until needed.
- Prepare a medium-hot fire for grilling or preheat a gas grill, and arrange a rack 3 to 4 inches from the heat.
- Brush or spray the grill rack with oil and arrange the thighs on the rack.
- Grill the chicken 5 to 7 minutes per side or until opaque and cooked through.
- After the first 5 minutes of cooking, brush well with the orange sauce. (To test if done, pierce a thigh with a knife and, if the juice is clear, the thighs are cooked.)
- Remove from the grill to a platter and serve.