I visited Wolff’s Apple House on New Year’s Eve and came home with four different kinds of citrus. The weather outside was frigid. The ground was covered with layer of snow. But once I had cut open the grapefruit, Cara Cara orange, tangerine and blood orange, the kitchen looked a whole lot brighter. Even the strong smell of the citrus seemed to perk up my spirits. We need these kinds of things in winter. Bright colors. Strong, delicious aromas.
One of the citrus fruits I got at Wolff’s was completely new to me. It was the Cara Cara orange. If you’ve never had it before, it’s one of nature’s beautiful surprises. You cut open a fruit that looks like an orange, and inside, it’s such radiant pink. You might keep checking the outside to make sure you didn’t accidentally cut open a ruby red grapefruit! And itt does taste slightly tangy, like a sweeter version of a grapefruit.
Inspired by this array of citrus, I decided to make a meal based on citrus. This citrus salad topped with broiled, citrus-marinated chicken thighs blended warm and bright flavors perfectly.
Super Citrus Salad with Chicken
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1⁄2 cup honey
- 3 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, skin on
- 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 4 tbsp. cashews, roughly chopped
- 15 figs, chopped
- 1 Cara Cara orange
- 1 red grapefruit
- blood orange
- 1 navel orange
- 1 lime (optional)
Instructions
- Peel all of the citrus and slice it 1/4 inch thick, crosswise to make circles.
- Mix orange juice, honey, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a bowl or plastic bag. Reserve 1/3 of it in another container.
- Add chicken to the remaining 2/3 marinade, toss to combine and marinate at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your broiler. Remove chicken from marinade, and cook in the broiler for 14-16 minutes, flipping once and basting with reserved sauce. Chicken should get nicely browned and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- While chicken is cooking, mix cilantro, cashews, figs, and citrus pieces. Serve chicken on top of or alongside salad.