There are about a million and one ways to make chicken. You can hunt high and low for a brand new recipe, only to be met with the same old ones. But then, you come across one that uses ingredients in such a simple, clean way you know you just have to make it. For me, that was this recipe. It's from Diana Henry's book, Simple, one of my favorite cookbooks for the simplicity of recipes and her use of fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Of course, I made a few tweaks, and tested a few times to ensure it still resulted in a satisfying, tasty dish. The chicken hangs out in a marinade of orange juice, oregano, garlic and a few other key ingredients to infuse it with mind blowing flavor. It gets browned on the stove first, than finished off in the oven to ensure it stays moist, and then topped with a tangy, light gremolata. Gremolata is usually made up of lemon zest, garlic and parsley. In this interpretation, there are briny olives, spicy red chiles, and orange zest.
TIP 1: Make the marinade and pop the chicken in it early in the morning, or, better yet, the day before you cook it.
TIP 2: The gremolata can be made a day, or two, ahead of time. This will allow all the flavors to meld together and makes for an even MORE flavor packed gremolata.
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