There’s just something about picking a fruit off a tree or vegetables from a garden and bringing them to my table that thrills me. It takes me out of today’s 24/7 go go technology driven world if only for a little while and brings a sense of calm while creating culinary pleasures.

This lovely sour orange tree has been around ever since I first visited my in-laws house in Jacksonville back in 1985. When I was up there this past Christmas the tree was in full bloom and I climbed as high as I could and gathered a bounty of the abundant fruit.  “You’re going to fall out of that tree PJ”, my husband yelled at me. No I’m not, I’m Field Strong. “What are you going to do with all those oranges, you can’t possibly use them before they rot”. Ever the pragmatic realist.

Well, for about a week they looked rather pretty sitting on my counter, dining room table and a few other areas in decorative bowls.

But it was time to squeeze those babies, put them in different size Mason jars and then into the freezer and voila, I now have plenty of sour orange juice to last us through the season. Now, let’s turn this into dinner. . .

Cut up your chicken into pieces. We did breasts and drumsticks this go round. Hubby’s into breasts and I’m a leg girl.

Process the garlic, onions and oregano in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the sea salt and pepper and with the processor running add in the olive oil in a slow steady stream.

Pour into a bowl and add the sour orange juice, stirring to combine.

In a large Ziploc bag pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 to 48+ hours. Remove from fridge 1 hour prior to cooking.

You can cook these in the oven but my preference is always on the grill. Cook covered using indirect heat for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for Part 2 — Mojo Roast Pork. . .

Recipe & Ingredients
3-4 lb pastured whole chicken or pieces
1 1/2 cups sour orange juice*
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-8 fresh garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
3+ tablespoons fresh oregano
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
*if you can’t find sour oranges you may substitute equal parts fresh orange and lemon juice

Preparation
If using a whole chicken, cut into individual pieces and set aside. In a food processor place the coarsely cut garlic, onion, oregano and sea salt and pepper and pulse until finely chopped.

With the processor running pour in the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Remove mixture to a large bowl and blend in the orange juice. Transfer to a large Ziploc bag and add your chicken pieces. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 24 to 48+ hours.

Remove from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature one hour before cooking. This can be cooked in the over at 375 for around 40-45 minutes but we prefer to grill. Place on hot coals and cook with indirect heat for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear.

Check out more Power Athlete friendly recipes on my blog . . . Paula Lean Primal Queen!

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