Shabbat Chicken with Dried Fruit Recipe

By Elizabeth Kurtz

(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 glossy and delicious sauce. It’s best when marinated overnight, so be sure to plan ahead and start it early.

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

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 fresh 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 F. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, and then drizzle equally with brown sugar and white wine. Bake until chicken is nicely browned on top and registers 165 F 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 F oven. Serves 8.

(Elizabeth Kurtz is the creator of the acclaimed website gourmetkoshercooking.com. She appears in cooking videos for aol.com, yahoo.comand justherfood.com, and writes cooking columns for The Jerusalem Post, Aish.com and numerous other publications.)

The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of 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.