Chipotle-Orange Chicken Legs

Tonight we wanted something summery for dinner, to celebrate the warm weather and the beginning of grilling season. Actually, I really wanted to make some sort of time-intensive slow-cooked dinner such as ribs, because I really enjoy filling up my Sunday afternoons with stuff I need to do in the kitchen.  It makes me feel important. 


My fiance thought that was dumb and suggested we make some sort of orange-marinated chicken on the grill. I thought that was boring and stupid so I snobbily dismissed it... aspiring bloggers don't grill chicken!. However, as I was making my way through Central Market during their 'Grill It!' event, Orange Grilled Chicken started to sound  really delicious. So, I gave in. Although I added a lot of other stuff so the idea was still technically mine.
Recipe:
6-8 Chicken drumsticks


Marinade:
1 c. orange juice
6 T. soy sauce (you don't need this much, but I follow a high-sodium diet)
6 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. orange zest
3 t. kosher or sea salt
2 t. ground chipotle chile pepper
1 t. black pepper


Mix all the ingredients together and pour marinade into a large ziplock bag. Add chicken to bag and mix well.  I also added 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts just for fun - they are a little leaner so they make good Monday leftovers.  Place the chicken in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.


When the chicken is almost ready, pre-heat the grill to 350-400 degrees (medium high).  Place the chicken on the grill and cook on each side 7-10 minutes.  Remove from grill, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. 


3/4 c. orange juice
2 T. soy sauce
2 t. brown sugar
3 t. corn starch


Whisk orange juice, soy sauce and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high, just until boiling. Whisk corn starch with 2 teaspoons water to dissolve. Add corn starch to boiling mixture.  Let thicken, then brush over chicken.

I served this with grilled confetti corn (recipe to follow), baked potatoes, grilled naan,  tomato basil salad, and banana shortcake. No, we were not having a pre-marital eating contest. But it turns out that even if you cook a deliciously simple and easy recipe like chipotle-orange chicken legs, you can still fill up your afternoon in the kitchen if you make a million things to go with it.