Grilled Orange Chicken

Frozen orange juice concentrate is the secret weapon in this grilled chicken marinade. Undiluted, it’s intensely sweet-tart and thick enough to cling to every piece. Mixed with soy sauce, garlic powder, and dried tarragon, it creates a marinade that does double duty: flavoring the meat and caramelizing into a sticky, bronzed glaze on the grill.

The overnight marinade is what makes this worth the planning. Eight hours (or more) gives the acid in the orange juice time to penetrate deep into a whole cut-up chicken. The soy sauce adds salt that seasons the meat all the way through, not just on the surface. A quick 30-minute marinade won’t come close to the same result.

Letting the marinade ingredients stand for 10 minutes before pouring over the chicken allows the dried onion flakes and tarragon to hydrate and release their flavors into the liquid. It’s a small step that makes the marinade more cohesive.

Baste only during the last 15 minutes. The sugar in the orange concentrate burns fast over direct heat. If you baste too early, you get charred, bitter spots instead of that glossy caramelized coating. Keep the chicken six to eight inches from the heat source and give each side a full 20 minutes for pieces that are cooked through with juicy interiors.

Pro Tips

• Use bone-in, skin-on pieces. The bones insulate the meat and the skin protects it from drying out over the long cook
• If flare-ups happen from the sugary marinade dripping, move pieces to a cooler zone of the grill temporarily
• Check thigh pieces with an instant-read thermometer. They need to hit 165F at the thickest point
• Reserve a small portion of fresh marinade (before it touches raw chicken) for a finishing drizzle at the table

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the marinade for a sharper flavor
• Use lime juice concentrate instead of orange for a tangier, more tropical profile
• Throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes for subtle heat under the citrus sweetness