Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Citrus Sauce

Plate with sliced pan-seared chicken breasts topped with Citrus Sauce and rice and cut up oranges.

5 from 1 vote

Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Citrus Sauce

This citrus chicken dish is bursting with fresh, bright flavor. A quick brine ensures the chicken comes out juicy and infuses lots of great flavor, so don't skip this step. You'll need about 8 oranges for this recipe.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Brining2

Course: Chicken and turkey

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 174kcal

Author: Kathy Kingsley

Ingredients

For the Chicken

1 cup fresh orange juice, preferably from Cara Cara
1 Tbs. orange zest
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 boneless chicken breast halves, skin-on (see Note below for skinless)
2 Tbs. olive oil

For the Sauce

3 Tbs. butter
1 medium shallot, minced
2 Tbs. brandy
1 cup fresh orange juice
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium orange, preferably from Cara Cara

Instructions

Brine the chicken

In a large bowl. combine the orange juice, zest, salt and 2 cups water, stir to dissolve the salt. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. (Don't let the chicken sit longer, or the acid in the orange juice will begin to "cook" the chicken.)

Cook the chicken

Preheat the oven to 400F. Remove the chicken form the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook undisturbed until the skin is golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
Turn the chicken breasts, season to taste with pepper, and transfer to the oven. Roast until chicken is just cooked through and registers 160F on instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes (take care not overcook).
Transfer the chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest while you make the sauce.

Make the sauce

Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in the skillet. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the brandy and cook, scraping the bottom of the skillet, until the brandy has almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the orange juice. Increase the heat to high and boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about ½ cup, about 5 minutes
Add the chicken broth and any accumulated chicken juice from the cutting board, and boil until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, about 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining 1 Tbs. of butter and swirl until melted. Stir in the orange segments.

To serve

Slice the chicken on the diagonal and arange on serving plates. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Notes

To section an orange: Cut off the top and bottom of the orange, slicing off enough to expose a circle of the orange’s flesh. Using a sharp paring knife, slice off a strip of peel from top to bottom. Try to get all of the white pith, but leave as much of the flesh as possible. Continue all the way around. To make segments, hold the orange over a bowl to catch the juice, and using the paring knife cut on both sides of each membrane, freeing the orange segment in between.

Nutrition