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Orange-Rosemary Grilled Chicken

Orange Rosemary Grilled Chicken – fire up the grill and cook this delicious, savory chicken with an orange and rosemary marinade.

Orange Rosemary Grilled Chicken - fire up the grill and cook this delicious, savory chicken with an orange and rosemary marinade. https://www.lanascooking.com/orange-rosemary-grilled-chicken/

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“Summer time and the living is easy.” Really? Easy, maybe; HOT, yes! Today was the tenth day in a row with high temperatures above 90 degrees and humidity to match. But that’s really just typical for the deep south at this time of year. Hot and humid. So humid that there’s a hazy look in the air. It’s like living in a sauna, but hey, it’s wonderful for your complexion!

Because of the heat, I was looking for something fabulous for dinner that wouldn’t heat up the kitchen and I found it in a delicious grilled chicken recipe from Real Simple that I adapted especially to suit our tastes. This chicken is marinated in a wonderful citrus and rosemary mixture, grilled and then served with a salad of romaine, orange sections and grilled onions.

This easy recipe is as nice for company as it is for a weeknight family meal. So, fire up those grills and start marinating. 

How to Make Orange Rosemary Grilled Chicken

Make the Marinade

Photo collage showing the steps and ingredients for the marinade.

Prepare the marinade by grating ½ to 1 teaspoon of zest from 1 orange into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze in the juice from the orange. Add the juice of a lemon, ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, garlic, rosemary and ¼ cup of olive oil. Remove and set aside ¼ cup of the mixture.

Add the chicken to the bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Photo of raw chicken above…yuck and sorry.)

Prepare the Grill

Grill with the top open and a cleaning cloth on the surface.

Heat your grill to medium temperature. This is BeeBop’s “big rig” grill. It has five main burners, a side burner and a warming rack (or something like that). I usually never touch the “big rig.” It’s strictly BeeBop’s domain. But, you know what, I’ve seen him do it enough times that I thought, “I bet I could do that; what’s the big deal.” I cranked that big old grill up just like I knew what I was doing.

When BeeBop got home, he asked me what I was cooking and I told him I was grilling chicken. He said, “On the grill? Outside?” He had a vaguely panicked look on his face and went right out to the deck to see what was going on. I must have passed the test because he just said, “looks good.” I never told him that I forgot to turn off the gas when I was finished. I turned it off the next morning when I remembered. That evening he was completely perplexed that we were out of propane. Hmmm…

Grill the Chicken

Chicken cooking on a grill.

So, after your grill has heated, place the chicken, skin side up, over indirect heat and cook, covered, for 35 minutes. I put the chicken over one burner which I turned off and left the ones on either side running. Made sense to me, anyway. Turn the chicken and cook, uncovered, over direct heat, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Prep the Salad

Sliced onions cooking on the grill.

Meanwhile, brush the onion slices with the remaining 1 tsp oil and season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Grill until tender, about 8 minutes.

Peeling and sectioning an orange.

Peel the remaining orange and slice into ¼-inch thick rounds. I like to make a game out of peeling the orange. If I cut it all off in one long piece I win! Hey, who said cooking wasn’t entertaining for the cook, huh? Cut the rounds into quarters.

Assembling the salad with lettuce, orange, and grilled onions.

Combine them with the grilled onion, lettuce, and reserved marinade/dressing in a bowl. Transfer to individual plates and serve with the chicken.

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Lana Stuart.

Questions? I’m happy to help!

If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Orange Rosemary Grilled Chicken - fire up the grill and cook this delicious, savory chicken with an orange and rosemary marinade. https://www.lanascooking.com/orange-rosemary-grilled-chicken/

Orange-Rosemary Grilled Chicken

Orange Rosemary Grilled Chicken – fire up the grill and cook this delicious, savory chicken with an orange and rosemary marinade.
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 501kcal
Author: Lana Stuart

Ingredients

  • 2 navel oranges
  • 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 2 tblsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • ¼ cup olive oil plus 1 tsp
  • 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
  • 1 large red onion sliced into rings
  • 1 head romaine lettuce

Instructions

  • Grate ½ to 1 teaspoon of zest from 1 orange into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze in the juice from the orange. Add the juice from the lemon, ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, garlic, rosemary and ¼ cup of olive oil. Reserve and set aside ¼ cup of the mixture. Add the chicken to the bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Heat grill to medium. Place the chicken, skin side up, over indirect heat and cook, covered, for 35 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook, uncovered, over direct heat, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, brush the onion slices with the remaining 1 tsp oil and season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Grill until tender, about 8 minutes. Peel the remaining orange and slice into ¼-inch thick rounds. Cut the rounds into quarters and combine them with the grilled onion, lettuce, and reserved dressing in a bowl. Transfer to individual plates and serve with the chicken.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 | Calories 501kcal | Carbohydrates 20g | Protein 49g | Fat 27g | Saturated Fat 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat 19g | Cholesterol 247mg | Sodium 407mg | Fiber 6g | Sugar 10g

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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6 Comments

  1. What a tasty looking marinade. Thanks for the recipe!

  2. I love the look and sound of this. Am a big fan of combining chicken with fruit anyway, but never thought of adding orange! Sounds like a great idea.

  3. sangeeta khanna says:

    the marinade sounds very good n i must try it soon….grilled chicken looks perfect.
    next time be careful to switch off the gas dude…

  4. Wow, this looks good. Great receipe for the July 4th cook out. Be careful with that grill.

  5. Bread + Butter says:

    That’s one beautifully grilled chicken. Goes wonderfully with that salad. I love the touch with the orange.