Tangerine Garlic Chicken is no-fuss and just delicious! The most irresistible honey garlic and tangerine sauce and the best thing is hardly any clean up!
People sometimes ask me what we eat for dinner. They assume it's only pasta every day. And that's not far from the truth. There are some days we have fish and some days a stir-fry. The rest of the days there may be pizza or a really fun chicken dish. Like this Tangerine Garlic Chicken.
Tangerine Garlic Chicken
The rest of the evenings will probably include pasta. I don't follow any specific recipes when I put together my sauces for the chicken. I sometimes open the fridge and see what sauce I have. I check out what jams I have around or citrus fruits. Baked Pineapple Chicken is another chicken recipe we all love and is so flavorful! Another family favorite is this delicious Very Easy One Pot Chicken and Rice.
Most of the time I like to use our homemade mango jam with the soy sauce for a really great sticky sauce.
I was distracted by the gorgeous tangerines I had around and thought with a little garlic and honey, this will be incredible. It's sort of a riff on how I make my whole roasted chicken. I occasionally add a little mustard to that sauce. You can really use your imagination and get creative.
HOW TO MAKE TANGERINE GARLIC GLAZE
To make tangerine garlic marinade, mix together honey, extra-virgin olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. You could make it spicy by adding a bit of chili powder. If you have time you could marinate the chicken for even an hour before baking it. Be sure to not marinate longer than an hour as the acid in the vinegar could make the meat not as tender if it is sitting in it for a long time.
But don't forget the garlic because it really makes the dish and it smells incredible while it's roasting. And what about on the side? With this chicken we had a very simple jasmine rice and a super delicious cauliflower salad. I hope to share that with you sometime next week. I add just a little bit of salt to the chicken. The soy and teriyaki add enough, in my opinion. But you could always use your judgement and add more if you prefer it a little more salty.
I knew my kids would have zero patience while I took a photo of this dish. I took a few when I added the tangerines and everyone was yelling at me to hurry up because they were hungry. See, that's why I don't usually post savory recipes. Those of you that do, I want to know your secret and how you keep your customers calm while they're waiting for you. I sometimes add a little water to the sauce when I baste the chicken if it seems it's getting too dry. My kids like to dip their bread in the sauce so there always has to be a little extra. The last photo was when it was done and it was very quick and there was more screaming, "Mom, hurry up!". So here you go...a really delicious chicken recipe that is no fuss.
Are Chicken Thighs or Chicken Breasts best for tangerine garlic chicken?
We prefer chicken thighs for this recipe. But feel free to use chicken breasts just keeping in mind that they would be done in about 18-20 minutes.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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Originally posted May 5, 2019 and slightly updated May 27, 2021.
Tangerine Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons tangerine juice or orange or lemon juice add more if you prefer stronger citrus flavor
- 3 tangerines peeled and separated in sections
- 4 large garlic cloves chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey, tangerine juice and garlic. Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Arrange chicken pieces on a foil rimmed baking sheet skin side down. Sprinkle on the paprika. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and rub it around on both sides (this helps it from sticking to the pan). Sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and spoon glaze over the chicken. Add the tangerine slices around the chicken and the pan. Lower the temperature to 375F and using thongs, carefully turn the chicken skin side up.
- Bake until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165F. Return to oven for another 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. *I check the chicken a couple times and baste it with the glaze. If it seems dry, you could add a little bit of water to the sauce (a Tablespoon at a time).
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
I marinaded the chicken in the cirltrus mixture over night. i seperated some marinade, brushed with marinade & flipped 6 times while baking. it was juicy and tasty.
thanks for the instructions on high heat to low baking.
Hi Angie-Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this tangerine garlic chicken (it's one of my favorites!) and that you marinated it overnight, and that you flipped it 6 times!
Lora I do have a question for you,before adding the sauce and tangerines do you drain off the the chicken fat,I did this today and left the juice in,its still in oven and smells gorgeous,by the way I left the fat in
Hi Tim...I usually leave the juices...unless it is a lot of fat, then I skim some off. I'm happy it smells delish. Hope you love it!
LOVE this chicken recipe! So easy to make and the kids really enjoyed it!
Can you use skinless thighs in the recipe?
Yes, you can!
Great recipe to use tangerines and love the flavor of citrus! This is a great dinner recipe and looks so delicious.
Your dinner recipe sounds fantastic. I would love to try soy and tangerines in my dish.
I am seriously drooling over this chicken. it looks incredible. what a great set of ingredients.