Orange Sriracha Chicken
This Orange Sriracha Chicken recipe will be one of your family's favorite chicken dishes! The marinade gives these chicken drumsticks a rich, herby under-layer of flavor, while the spicy sriracha and sweet, citrusy notes of the sauce provide a tongue-tingling balance to this umami-packed dish.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 10 chicken drumsticks about 3½ pounds
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt but remember: not all kosher salts are the same: I use Diamond Crystal brand—if you’re using Morton’s kosher salt, use 1 to 1½ teaspoons instead
Marinade:
- 1 medium yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves packed
- ½ cup orange juice
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Orange Sriracha Sauce:
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Whole30 Sriracha or Paleo Sriracha hey, hotheads: you can add more, but just know that you’ll be reducing the sauce and therefore concentrating the heat
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds optional
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sprinkle the salt on the chicken, and set aside.
- To make the marinade, toss the onion, basil, orange juice, garlic, fish sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, and pepper in a food processor or high-powered blender. Purée until smooth.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken, making sure that all the drumsticks are well-coated. Cover and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 12 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook, take the bowl of chicken out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Transfer the drumsticks to the wire rack. Spoon some extra marinade onto each piece of chicken. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through and the skin is golden brown, flipping each piece and turning the baking sheet at the halfway point.
- While the chicken’s in the oven, make the Orange Sriracha Sauce. In a small saucepan, stir together the orange juice, honey, sriracha, ghee, and coconut aminos.
- Cook over high heat. Once it’s at a boil, turn down the heat to low, and reduce the sauce until it’s thickened (about 3 to 5 minutes). Taste and—if necessary—season with salt to taste.
- After 40 minutes in the oven, brush a thin layer of the Orange Sriracha Sauce on each drumstick, and then roast for 5 more minutes.
- Then, take the tray out of the oven, and use a brush to glaze the chicken with the remaining sauce.
- If desired, add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
If you make your own Whole30 sriracha sauce, this recipe is Whole30-compliant!
Nutrition
Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 22g | Fiber: 1g