Best Orange Caper Chicken Recipes

SAUTéED CHICKEN WITH OLIVES, CAPERS AND LEMONS

Steps:

• Bring a medium-large, high sided skillet to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add half of the lemon slices and sear until browned, 3-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate. Season the chicken thighs with kosher salt and black pepper and dust with rice flour, shaking off the excess. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan and sear the chicken pieces until golden brown, about 5 minutes each side. Transfer to another plate and finish searing the rest of the chicken pieces, then transfer to the same plate as the rest of the chicken.
• Add the rest of the olive oil to the pan and the minced garlic, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring so the garlic doesn't burn and become bitter. Add the green olives, capers and broth. Add the reserved chicken and any juices that have been released plus the reserved lemons and their juices and cook over high heat until the broth is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and parsley and cook for another minute. Season with more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Transfer to plates and spoon the olives, capers, lemons and sauce on top.
• Serve with sautéed spinach, kale or swiss chard on the side.

BAKED COD WITH ORANGE, CAPER AND OLIVE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. Using vegetable peeler, remove peel and white pith from orange. Cut twenty 2-inch-long, 1/8-inch-wide strips from orange peel and reserve. Chop orange; place in small bowl. Add tomato and next 7 ingredients to chopped orange; stir to blend. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spray 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Arrange cod in prepared dish. Sprinkle orange strips evenly over fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until fish is opaque in center, about 10 minutes. Spoon sauce over fish.

ORANGE BRAISED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CAPERS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chicken and brown on both sides. Remove from pan with some tongs and set aside.
• Reheat the oil in the pan, add the garlic and onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring, until just beginning to brown.
• Add the cumin, orange and lemon juices, orange zest and pepper, mix well then add the chicken, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Spoon the juices over the chicken then add the capers, re-cover and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately.

CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH PEPPERS, CAPERS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Start the chicken: Pat chicken dry and place in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Add garlic, rosemary, red-pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss the thighs to coat, using hands to smear the mixture evenly over the chicken. Let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature, or, if time permits, overnight in the refrigerator.
• Make the peppers: Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. When oil begins to look wavy, add onions and stir to coat. When the onions begin to soften (don't let them brown), add peppers and stir to combine. Season well with salt and pepper, and add garlic and red-pepper flakes. Stir to incorporate and reduce heat to medium. Cover, leaving the lid ajar.
• Cook mixture for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until completely soft. Add olives, vinegar and capers, and cook for a few minutes more, just to meld the flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with oregano. Set aside. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Cook the chicken: Place a large cast iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. When oil is wavy, add chicken thighs, skin-side down. Shake the pan to make sure the chicken isn't sticking.
• Lower the heat to medium. Place a piece of parchment or aluminum foil on top of chicken and set another skillet on top. Add some weight - a brick or canned goods, for example - to the top skillet. Set heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, checking occasionally to be sure chicken isn't sticking, until the skin side is beautifully browned.
• Turn thighs over and cook for 10 minutes more, until thighs are cooked through. (To test, pierce the chicken with a paring knife. The juices should run clear.) If you wish, turn the thighs skin-side down again and let crisp for a few more minutes.
• Serve 1 thigh and a large spoonful of stewed peppers to each guest. Leftover peppers, if any remain, will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

CHICKEN WITH PRUNES, OLIVES AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Combine the chicken, prunes, wine, wine vinegar, oil, oregano, capers, fresh garlic, chili peppers, salt and the bay leaves; turn to coat the chicken pieces well.
• Cover, and marinate in the refrigerater 8 hours, or overnight (do not marinate for more that 24 hours, as the vinegar will start to cook the chicken).
• If marinated for 24 hours, combine ingredients in a zip-loc plastic bag, seal and refrigerate.
• In a casserole dish, arrange the chicken in a single layer.
• Pour the marinade over the chicken.
• Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the chicken.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes, in a 350 degree oven, or until the chicken tests done.
• Remove the chicken to a large platter, and top with remaining pan juices.
• Remove the bay leaves before sprinkling the chopped basil over the chicken.
• Serve immediately.

CHICKEN WITH LEMON-CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix together salt and flour in a small dish or plastic bag, then coat chicken and shake off excess. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Shake excess flour from chicken, then brown in hot oil until both sides are golden-brown, and the inside has turned white and firm, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Remove the chicken, and set aside in a warm place. Pour white wine into the skillet, and allow to boil as you dissolve the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice, and allow to come to a boil, cook for a few minutes until reduced by half.
• Sprinkle the cubed butter into the boiling sauce. Swirl and shake the pan vigorously to dissolve the butter, thus thickening the sauce. The butter must never come to rest, or the sauce will separate and become oily. Once the butter has completely incorporated, remove from heat and stir in capers.
• To serve, pour lemon-caper sauce over the chicken, and serve with a wedge of lemon.