CHICKEN WITH ORANGE AND ONION

In this recipe, adapted from my mother, Annette Gertner, an orange, pith, skin and all, provides a bittersweet counterpoint for tangy onion to season and dress a whole, broken-down chicken that’s browned on one side, then baked. Worcestershire sauce binds the flavors with a good amount of umami, while some bits of orange and onion caramelize in the oven and enrich the pan sauce.

Makes: 4 servings

Total time: 1 hour

1 orange

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 medium-large yellow onion,

coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon ground ginger

teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1(3 to 4-pound) frying chicken, cut in 10 pieces

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

cup dry white wine

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut orange in half and juice it. You should have at least cup of juice. Add Worcestershire sauce. Set aside. Cut orange peel, with pith, into 1-inch pieces. Place orange peel and onion in food processor and pulse to chop fairly fine, or chop both together by hand. Spread half this mixture in a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken snugly in a single layer (a 9-by-13-inch pan should suffice).

2. Using a whisk or fork, mix ginger, teaspoon salt and pepper (to taste) in a shallow bowl. Season the chicken with it, then dredge chicken pieces in flour to coat only the skin side. Heat butter in a large, heavy skillet on medium high. Brown chicken on skin side and transfer, skin side up, to the baking dish on the bed of orange and onion.

3. Pour orange juice, Worcestershire sauce and wine into skillet. Cook on medium for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up any residue in the skillet. Stir in reserved minced chopped orange peel and onion. Pour over and around chicken. Bake for about 45 minutes, basting a few times, until dark meat juices run clear when pierced with a knife. Serve directly from the baking dish or transfer to a platter and serve.