The Case of the Orange-Honey Chicken
Miami Herald Columnist
The case: Find a recipe for Orange Honey Chicken published in the Herald prior to the Internet age and earlier than the paper's online archives go back to.
The search turned up 80 year old Libby Strauss, who wrote food articles for the paper back in the 1970's. She has led quite a life outside the kitchen.
She traveled the state for 24 years as a fund raiser for Brandeis University, was active in the civil rights and Vietnam-era anti-war movements and was the Florida office coordinator for George McGovern's 1972 presidential bid. When the Democratic Convention brought them to Miami Beach that summer, his family and staff were so taken with her cooking that she became McGovern's campaign chef and hostess.Oh yeah, they also found the receipe for the Orange-Honey Chicken.
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup matzoh meal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 2 (3- to 3 ½-pound) broiler-fryer chickens, each cut into 8 serving pieces
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup honey
• 1 (6-ounce) can orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 2 oranges, sliced thin
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs with 2 tablespoons water in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, mix matzoh meal, salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, dip the chicken pieces in the egg mixture and roll them in the seasoned meal. Working in batches, brown the pieces in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a roasting pan.
Mix the hot water, honey and orange concentrate, and pour over the chicken. Cover the roasting pan and bake 25 minutes. Uncover the pan, baste the chicken with the pan juices and arrange the orange slices on top. Bake, uncovered, 20 more minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The sauce will thicken and the chicken will take on a lovely honey-brown color. Makes 8 servings.
