Mediterranean Chicken with Figs & Grapes

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Mediterranean Roasted Chicken with Figs and Grapes

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Annie can blame a lot of the attitudes towards her on Aristotle, who over 2,000 years ago, believed and taugheht that “Deaf people cannot be educated without hearing…those born deaf become senseless and incapable of reason.” Accepted as accurate until 16th century in Europe, this influenced attitudes and damaged expectations until true deaf education began in the late 19th century.

Author Tammy Ottenbreit brings to modern readers this knowledge, pain and injustice. The story, influenced by the life of the author’s own great-aunt, reveals a hard life, narrated to break your heart, fill you with terror and be lifted by the resilience of these characters without a voice.

I love reading cookbooks. A friend lent me Adeena Sussman’s new cookbook, Shabbat, filled with luscious recipes and photographs. I usually find one or two recipes I plan to make in a cookbook, but so many recipes called to me in this collection. The first one I made was this sweet and savory chicken thighs, fabulously flavored by figs and grapes, enhanced by roasting with the chicken. Such a delicious sauce! I changed the corn starch to potato starch to make it gluten free, added a red bell pepper, and had to use smaller processed figs, as I couldn’t find large fresh figs. Silan, date syrup, is not available in my grocery store and I left it out, and found that the fruit and honey were sweet enough for the recipe. Filled with many Middle Eastern and traditional Jewish recipes, this cookbook’s recipes are fabulous for everybody, any day. Recipe is below.

Mediterranean Chicken with Figs and Grapes

Serves 2

¾ cup chicken broth, homemade or store bought

1 tablespoon potato starch

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon silan or honey

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon chili flakes, optional

2 bone-in chicken thighs with skin, patted dry

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 small onions, each cut into 8 wedges or thickly sliced

1/4 cup dry white wine

6 large or 8 medium whole figs

1/4-pound red seedless grapes

1 red bell pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme or 6 fresh thyme sprigs

Arrange an oven rack 6” from broiler. Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
In a bowl, whisk chicken broth and cornstarch until dissolved, then add mustard, honey, lemon juice, salt pepper and chili flakes.
Season chicken with salt. Heat oil in oven proof cast iron pot or heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin side down. Brown until skin is crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook 1 additional minute. Remove to plate and cover.
Add onions to the same pot or skillet and brown until golden. Remove to plate.
Add wine to skillet and cook, stirring and scraping up bits from the pan until the wine is reduced, about 2 minutes.
Add broth mixture, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until mixture thickens and reduces slightly, 3-4 minutes.
Return chicken and onions to the oven proof pan. Nestle figs and grapes among chicken pieces.
Add thyme around the pan. Spoon some sauce over chicken, cover with parchment paper and then with foil and cook in oven until sauce begins to thicken and figs and grapes begin to soften, 20 minutes. (I use parchment paper next to food as tiny pieces of the aluminum foil can slip into the pan, giving a tinny taste.)
Remove from oven, uncover, and return to oven and roast until figs and grapes are slightly caramelized and chicken skin is crisped and deep mahogany in color, about 15 minutes. Check chicken temperature with thermometer. It should read 165F.
Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with dried thyme or sprigs.

Expandthetable suggestions

Lessen the sugar: Omit honey or substitute 1 teaspoon Stevia.

Rosh Hashanah: When it is traditional to use apples and honey, add 2 small apples, unpeeled, cored and cut into quarters

Add other veggies: Add zucchini or carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices.

Wine substitute: If you don’t have or prefer not to use wine, use 1 tablespoon apple cider or white wine vinegar. Using a darker vinegar will affect the color of the sauce.

#GlutenFree #Poultry #Figs #Grapes #JewishNewYear #RoshHashanah #GlutenFree #Dairy Free

Shabbat. Adeena Sussman