Name: Ginger Chicken with Grilled Mandarin Oranges
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Paleo
Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar; 1 ½ Tablespoon finely grated or minced fresh ginger from a 1 ½” piece; Sea salt; 6 fresh thyme sprigs; 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or mashed to a paste; 1 Tablespoons gluten free tamari or soy sauce; 1 teaspoon fresh lime or lemon juice; 2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs; Fresh pepper; Olive oil, for brushing; Handful of torn fresh basil (optional), cilantro, mint or parsley can be used; 4-6 mandarins, choose firm ones; 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme; 1 Tablespoon olive oil for brushing; sea salt

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These tender juicy chicken thighs are perfectly marinated, grilled, and served with charred mandarins. The marinade is made with ginger mingled with balsamic vinegar, garlic, and tamari giving the chicken a sweet-tart, warm, fiery taste. Fresh mandarin oranges become soft and wonderful on the fire. It’s an easy to make dish, perfect for summer.

One of my favorite parts of summer is cooking on the grill. Placing food on a hot fire caramelizes the flavors bringing out their natural sugars, with a taste of sweet smokiness. When grilling chicken, fish, meat or vegetables you get a nice crispy exterior with a juicy tenderness inside.

Cooking over a live fire is exciting. It must remind us of our cavewoman days. Grilling often creates a festive atmosphere bringing together friends and family to spend time outside. It’s so much fun!

In this recipe I grill mandarin oranges to go with the chicken. Grilling makes the fruit sweet, tender, and juicy providing nice balance to the spicy-salty ginger chicken thighs. Grilled mandarin oranges are easy to make. Just brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and thyme.

Why I Love This Recipe

This is a simple healthy dish with only 8 ingredients and not very labor intensive. But you have to prepare the chicken in advance to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. I usually marinate it after breakfast. By dinner it has soaked up all the flavors and is ready to grill.

The recipe can be doubled if you have a large group or want to take it to the beach the next day.

tender and juicy
mildly spicy, sweet, salty flavor
simple healthy ingredients
nutritious and delicious
easy to make
cooks quickly and tastes amazing
well balanced flavors
good for leftovers
recipe can easily be doubled for a party

Ingredients and Substitutions

The marinade is made with simple ingredients you can find in your supermarket. It’s easy to make and only takes 5 minutes. It really helps if you have a microplane.

I like boneless, skinless chicken thighs, they stay juicy and cook quickly. Since they have no skin you don’t have to worry about flare ups on your grill. If you prefer, boneless chicken breasts can be used. Don’t overcook them as they dry out easily.

I serve the chicken with a little yogurt on the side, to provide a cool creamy complement to the smoky gingery taste, but the dish is just as delicious without it.

balsamic vinegar, aged is best
fresh ginger, grated on a microplane or finely chopped
fresh garlic, grated or minced
fresh thyme sprigs or dried thyme
gluten free tamari or soy sauce
lime or lemon juice
boneless, skinless chicken thighs – chicken breasts can be substituted but will need to cook less
olive oil for brushing
sea salt and fresh pepper
mandarin oranges, choose firm ones – peaches are good too
fresh basil (optional but so good), cilantro or mint or parsley can be substituted
yogurt (Greek or diary free), optional

How to Make

This is an easy dish that cooks quickly. Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours in advance to soak up all the ginger flavor. Here are the basics, the full instructions are in the recipe card below.

Prepare the marinade: In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, mix together balsamic vinegar, grated ginger, thyme, garlic, soy sauce, a pinch of salt and lime juice.

Marinate the chicken. Add chicken to the marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Prepare the mandarin oranges: You’re going to cook the oranges first. It’s less messy than cleaning up the grill after cooking the chicken. Light the grill on high heat. Peel the mandarins with a peeler to just remove the outer orange, leave as much white as possible to hold the sections together. Cut each mandarin into 3 thick slices horizontally. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh thyme.

Grill the mandarins: Grill over direct heat until just charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill onto a plate.

Grill the chicken: Turn down the grill to medium. Brush off any clinging pieces of marinade from chicken, and coat lightly with oil. Grill or broil until charred and browned, 4 to 6 minutes per side

Transfer chicken to a platter along with the mandarins. Scatter with basil, if using, for garnish.

Ingrid’s Tips

This recipe is easy and here are a few tips to make sure it’s great!

Choose firm mandarin oranges, they are easier to peel. Only peel off the orange layer, leave the white. You need it to hold the oranges together.
Slice the oranges into thick slices, only 3 per orange. They grill better.
Make sure the grill is hot, clean and nicely oiled.
Don’t move the oranges around the grill or cook them too long. Just long enough to get a char.
Oil the grill again before adding the chicken. Cover the grill while cooking. Since there is no skin on the chicken you won’t get flareups.
Don’t move the chicken around the grill if you want nice grill marks.
Cook until just tender 4-6 minutes per side. Chicken thighs are very forgiving but taste better if not overly charred.

Serving and Storing

Serve with a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of olive oil. A dollop of yogurt (regular or diary free) on the side adds a cool and creamy complement to the smoky gingery taste, but the dish is just as delicious without it.

Serve warm or at room temperature. This is a fabulous dish for a party. It can sit out for a few hours and still taste great.

The leftover chicken can be used in a salad the next day. It’s so good cold. Or pack it up for a delicious lunch on the beach.

Store leftover chicken and grilled mandarins on a plate covered with plastic wrap or in a covered container. It will stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Side Dishes To Go With Ginger Chicken

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