Easy chicken is a go-to for Shabbat, holidays

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(The Nosher via JTA) – I have served this chicken on Rosh Hashanah for years, and it’s a go-to for a quick and easy Shabbat recipe. The chicken gets caramelized from the delicious sauce. It’s best when marinated overnight, Be sure to plan ahead.

This recipe is excerpted from “Celebrate: Food, Family, Shabbos,” by Elizabeth Kurtz.

Shabbat Chicken with Dried Fruit

Ingredients

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup dried apricots, prunes, or a combination of any dried fruit

12 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 bay leaves

2 (3- to 4-pound) chickens, cut into 8 pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white wine

Directions

In a small bowl, pour orange juice over dried fruit and let soak to plump the fruit, about 10 minutes. In a separate small bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, oregano, thyme, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and bay leaves.

Place chickens in 2 roasting pans. Pour marinade equally over each chicken and massage into chicken. Add orange juice and fruit mixture equally to each roasting pan.

Cover pans and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, and then drizzle equally with brown sugar and white wine. Bake until chicken is browned on top and registers 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Serve with pan juices and dried fruit.

Notes:

This dish is perfect as-is for Passover.

The chicken tastes best when marinated a minimum of 4 hours and preferably overnight.

Can be prepared 2 days ahead of time. Store, covered, in the refrigerator or freeze up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator. Rewarm, covered, in a warming drawer or 300-degree oven. Serves 8.

ELIZABETH KURTZ is the creator of gourmetkoshercooking.com. She appears in cooking videos for aol.com, yahoo.com and justherfood.com, and writes cooking columns for The Jerusalem Post, Aish.com and numerous other publications. The Nosher food blog offers a new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.

Food, Chicken, Shabbat