Rachel Roddy’s recipe for chicken with orange, lemon, marmalade and olives

Two oranges have been sitting in the fruit bowl since 24 January. I can be precise thanks to the boastful photographs of marmalade I took on 25 January, having bought the fruit the day before. Only half the oranges became marmalade (which filled 10 jars and made every surface in the kitchen sticky), so to start with a dozen or so sat in the bowl. They are not bitter oranges, nor are they sweet, which is why they have been consumed so slowly, watching other fruit come, go and succumb to rot (something these last two seem immune to).

They have shrunk, of course, and, like all ageing creatures, developed plenty of fine lines and open pores, but otherwise remain in excellent orange health, while their rich, oily scent is stronger than ever. In her Fruit Book, Jane Grigson notes that the word “orange” can be traced back 3,000 years, to an ancient Indian language called Dravidian, and the word naranga, which means “perfume within”. The fruit and name migrated, first into Persian and Arabic, then to European languages; narancs in Hungarian, naranja in Spanish, which morphed into the Italian arancia and the French narange, and then lost its “n”, giving us orange – both the fruit and the colour.

Two oranges are required for this week’s recipe, which is inspired by the Iranian and Sicilian pairing of orange with chicken, as well as by an ingenious recipe from Julia Drysdale (via Jane Grigson) that calls for duck to be spread first with butter and then marmalade, like toast. I have not gone that far yet: in today’s recipe, I use only a teaspoon of marmalade, along with orange and lemon zest and juice, garlic and herbs, to make a sharp, fragrant marinade for chicken thighs. They are then baked until golden and, thanks to the sugar in the fruit juice and marmalade, a little sticky.

Boiled new potatoes go well with this, as would a thinly sliced radish and watercress salad (make a jam-jar dressing by shaking olive oil, salt and lemon juice). Alternatively, pair your marmalade chicken with couscous, well fluffed with a fork and mixed with fried spring onions, flaked almonds, slivers of dates and more grated orange – a clever and good idea taken from Rosie Sykes’ new book, Every Last Bite. Oranges of all ages are, of course, suitable, as long as they are in good health.

Chicken thighs with orange, lemon, marmalade and olives

Serves 4

2 unwaxed oranges
1 unwaxed lemon
6 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and gently squashed, so broken but still whole
1 generous tsp bitter orange marmalade
1 sprig fresh oregano, or marjoram
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt and black pepper
8 skin-on chicken thighs
1 tbsp capers (optional)
100g fat green olives

Working over a bowl, grate the zest from one of the oranges and the lemon, then squeeze in the juice from both. Add the oil, garlic, marmalade, herbs, salt and pepper, then whisk.

Add the chicken, turn the pieces a few times so they’re well coated, then cover with a plate and chill in the fridge for at least four hours, and up to 24.

Pull the bowl from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you want to cook, and heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Tip the chicken and its marinade into a baking dish, then arrange the chicken skin side up in a single layer. Slice the remaining orange and tuck the slices into the gaps between the chicken, along with the capers, if using, and olives. Bake for 45 minutes, until the chicken skin is deep golden and the orange caramelised.

At the end of the cooking, assess the liquid; if you want to thicken it, pour it into a pan, reduce a little, then taste and add more salt or a dash of sugar or vinegar, if needed, before pouring it back over the chicken and serving.

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