GHSS: Moroccan Olive & Orange Chicken

There are a lot of things in this world that I love. Champagne, chips and salsa, lipstick, singing, my children...just to name a few. One thing that you might not know is that I love olives. I like to nestle in with a bowl of olives and little pickles and just go to town. It's a comfort thing, I think, dating back to my childhood Thanksgivings when my sister Suzy and I would scarf down an entire tray of pickles and olives that my mother meant to be appetizers. I love traditions.

So of course, when I saw the word "olive" I stopped immediately and declared that this would be my next recipe. I also really love cooking meat with fruit, something Collin never even knew about until he met me and he asked what the hell I was doing pairing apples and pork together. And he thinks *I'm* the crazy one.

So I gathered all of the ingredients and got to chopping.

Alright now looking back I would do a few things differently. I would definitely throw the chicken in some kind of orange juice marinade the night before and I would absolutely spice the flour. Salt and pepper can only carry you so far and it fell short here. The chicken itself was, you guessed it, a little bland but the olive and onion saved it as long as you ate all 3 in the same bite. I was a little disappointed in the sauce and I was kicking myself for not placing the orange slices on top of the chicken as it simmered. CUMIN. That's what it was missing. It just came to me. And now my tongue is doing that thing that tongues do like when you're thinking about eating a lemon jolly rancher.

It just looked so pretty

This looks scrumptious as hell.

I paired this with a spinach and tomato salad. I've been really into those lately.

RECIPE:

4 chicken breast cutlets about 4 oz each (I had some that were over 4 oz and it all worked out)

1/4 tsp salt (who even measures this out)

1/4 tsp pepper (seriously, who?)

1/4 cup flour (you'll love yourself if you spice this)

3 tbs Olive Oil

1 red onion, sliced

2 navel oranges (I used the kid's oranges cause that's what I had)

1/2 cup green olives

Rice Pilaf, for serving

Parsley, for garnish (I forgot this part)

1) Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper then dredge each cutlet in flour.

2) In a 12 inch skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat until hot. Add the chicken and cool until it's done, turning once - about 6 minutes total. Transfer it to a plate.

3) Reduce the heat to medium; add onion and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Squeeze the juice from the oranges into the skillet and add a few orange slices. Add olives to skillet and 1/4 cup water. 4) Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer until everything is nice and hot. 

5) Service with rice pilaf and garnish with parsley.