Honey Orange Chicken

We enjoyed this tasty dish last night for dinner. It's very quick. In fact, I managed to finish a Babybrags order and get prepared for mutual while cooking.

1. Combine 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (I store mine in the freezer for long keeping), orange zest from 1 orange (don't zest any of the white part - it's bitter) and 1 tsp. salt in a shallow dish.

2. Put 1/2 cup orange juice (I squeeze fresh from the orange I just zested and if I need more I add already made OJ) and 1/4 cup lemon juice (again I used fresh squeezed) in another shallow dish.

3. Take 1/2 bag (I had a 3.5 lb. frozen bag) of thawed chicken breasts and/or tenderloins. I prefer the tenderloins because they aren't as thick. Dip each piece of chicken in the juice, then into the crumb mixture, covering well. Pat on an even coating.

4. Place coated chicken into a greased 9x13 glass pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, combine 1/4 butter, 1/2 cup orange juice (again I prefer fresh squeezed - but already made will work too), all the leftover juice from coating the chicken, 1/2 cup honey, and 1 cube of chicken boullion. Heat on medium until honey and boullion are dissolved and then turn to warm.

6. After 20 minutes, pull the chicken out of the oven and pour the sauce on top. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake until chicken is cooked throughout. If using thawed tenderloins like I did - then 10 minutes will suffice. If unsure on the cooking time, read the directions on the back of the frozen bag of chicken and adjust accordingly.

We like to serve over sticky rice at our house. Having lived in Hawaii, Matt and I are quite fond of Calrose rice and like to cook it the old fashioned way on the stove. We follow the directions on the bag and add an extra 1/2 cup water for maximum stickiness.

I hope your family enjoys this tender sweet citrusy meal as much as mine does.