Chicken Scaloppine With Roasted Apricots Recipes

CHICKEN SCALOPPINE WITH ROASTED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the apricots in a baking dish large enough to accommodate them in a single layer. Place the butter, honey, cinnamon and ginger in a small saucepan or in a ramekin and heat until the butter melts, either on the stove or at 50 percent power for 25 seconds in the microwave. Pour over the apricots and toss together. Place in the oven and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the apricots are soft. Remove from the oven and turn the oven down to warm. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, flatten the chicken breasts. If they weigh a lot more than 4 ounces apiece (they usually weigh about twice that) cut them in half. Place two sheets of plastic wrap on your cutting board or counter, overlapping slightly, to make a single large sheet, and brush lightly with oil. Place a chicken breast in the middle and place two more sheets of plastic on top. Working from the center to the outside, pound the meat with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until very flat, 1/4 inch thick or (preferably) even thinner. Make sure you come down flat with the meat tenderizer, and don't pound too hard; if you hit the meat with the edge, you will tear it.
• Season the pounded chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a wide dish. Dredge the chicken breasts lightly in the flour, tap off excess and stack between pieces of parchment (you will not use all of the flour; discard what you don't use).
• Heat a wide skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is shimmering in the pan and you can feel the heat when you hold your hand a couple of inches above it, add as many pieces as will fit into the pan without crowding (that's just one for my 12-inch pan) and brown on both sides, which should take only about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter or a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Use the remaining oil for the next batches if necessary.
• When all of the pieces have been cooked, turn the heat down to medium and scrape the apricots and all the liquid in the baking dish into the pan. Stir and scrape the pan to deglaze with the juices from the apricots. This should take less than a minute. Scrape out of the pan onto the chicken breasts and serve, with rice or couscous.

MOROCCAN APRICOT CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add almonds; cook and stir until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. In the same skillet, brown chicken on both sides. Remove from heat. Transfer chicken to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir chili sauce, preserves, apricots, Moroccan seasoning, vanilla and garlic powder into drippings. Pour over chicken., Cook, covered, on low until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170°-175°, 4 to 4-1/2 hours. Stir in garbanzo beans and orange juice. Cook, covered, on low until heated through, 15-30 minutes longer. Serve with almonds. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

CHICKEN SCALOPPINE

Steps:

• Pound the 4 pieces of chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to flatten them, about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Coat the chicken with the flour, shaking off any excess.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and butter. Mix together and when the butter has melted add the chicken, working in batches, until they are golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Remove the chicken, to a serving platter, cover and keep warm. Add the chicken broth to the pan and cook it over high heat until it reduces by half and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and basil. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken serve with the Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Risotto.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the top off the head of garlic. Put it on a large square of aluminum foil and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the extra-virgin olive oil over the exposed cloves. Wrap the foil around and over the garlic. Roast until it is soft, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Pour the 2 cans of broth into a saucepan, over low heat, and add 3 cans of water. Bring to a simmer.
• In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until the mushrooms release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute to toast.
• Add 2 ladles full of hot broth to the pan and gently stir the rice. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Adjust the heat so that the pan is just gently bubbling. Continue adding broth and stirring until all the broth is used and the rice is cooked but not mushy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Once the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is nice and creamy, stir in the butter, Parmesan and the garlic pulp. Cover and let rest for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.
• Reserve 3 cups for another use.

WINE-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, place the chicken pieces skin-side down in a single layer in the pot. Cook on both sides, turning several times, until the skin is browned, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Add the garlic, carrot chunks and onion quarters, followed by the wine, stock, apricots and rosemary. Stir together, then return the chicken to the pot. Bring to the boil, cover and braise in the oven until the chicken and vegetables are tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Serve the chicken over Cheese Grits with the onions, carrots, garlic and apricots, making sure to get a spoonful or two of the cooking liquid. Garnish with parsley and serve.
• Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly stir in the grits, then return to a boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Turn down the heat to low and stir in the Cheddar and cream cheese. Cook until the Cheddar is melted and the cream cheese is incorporated into the mixture, another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the butter and keep warm until ready to serve.

ORANGE CHICKEN SCALOPPINE AND SUNBURST SQUASH ESCABECHE WITH ROASTED PEPPER PUREE

Steps:

• Squash: Put the squash slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt, toss to coat. Put a heavy bowl on top to press down the squash and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain the squash, rinse and dry it completely. Fill a deep saute pan with 1-inch of canola oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and deep-fry the squash slices until golden brown. Remove the squash to paper towels to drain. Put the squash into a large jar or bowl and add the citrus juices, garlic, honey, mint sprigs and basil. Set aside.
• Chicken: Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Brown both sides of the chicken, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan then deglaze the pan with wine and reduce until most of wine is cooked off. Add the orange juice, lemon juice and broth and reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Pepper puree: Add the olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the red pepper and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pepper to a blender and add the chicken broth. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Arrange 1 chicken breast on each plate with a few slices of the squash. Top with some the red pepper puree and serve.

MOROCCAN ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Spatchcock the chickens - see tip, below, or ask your butcher to do it for you. Put the olive oil, coriander, sumac, cumin, fennel, chilli, garlic, lemon zest and juice, pomegranate molasses and some ground black pepper into a food processor or blender, and whizz to a paste. Divide between 2 large food bags, add a chicken to each, then squeeze out the air and seal before giving everything a good squelch to coat thoroughly. Marinate for 24-48 hrs in the fridge, turning and squishing every so often.
• Fire up a barbecue and let the flames die down, or heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Lift the chicken out of the bags and season well with salt. Barbecue or roast the chicken for 25-30 mins on each side until crisp and cooked through. Set aside on a platter, loosely cover with foil, to rest while you do the apricots. If you roasted rather than barbecued, keep the tin juices warm for serving.
• Put the apricots in a small, snug roasting tin. Whisk the preserved lemon, honey, orange blossom and vinegar with some seasoning. Pour over the apricots and roast, or sit on the barbecue, for 20 mins until soft.
• Serve the chicken with any cooking juices, the apricots and saffron yogurt.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Slash each piece of chicken through the skin a few times, about 1 inch deep. Season with the salt and pepper and place in a large bowl or large resealable plastic bag. Whisk lemon juice, orange juice, honey, garlic, thyme, sumac and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl to combine. Add lemon slices, apricots, olives and olive brine. Pour the marinade over the chicken and cover tightly or remove as much air as possible before sealing it. Set on a small sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours, turning the bag from time to time.
• Position a rack 8 inches from the broiler heat source. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss shallots with remaining tablespoon oil and spread out on a large sheet pan, cut sides down. Place on the lower rack and cook, turning once, until starting to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and use your hands and a slotted spoon to scoop the chicken, apricots, lemon slices and olives onto the pan, reserving the marinade. Arrange in an even layer with the chicken skin side up and return to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, baste the chicken with the drippings, and cook until chicken juices run clear, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the oven. Heat the broiler to high.
• Pour the reserved marinade and wine over the chicken, and broil until the chicken is browned and the liquid is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. If the apricots start to get too dark, turn them over in the sauce. Transfer to a platter. If you used chicken breasts, cut them in half. Pour the sauce over everything or serve it on the side.

CHICKEN, DRIED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Rub the chicken with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Place the garlic in the cavity. Set aside at room temperature for one hour.
• Simmer the apricots in water to cover for 30 minutes, or until plump.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large fireproof casserole, fry the onion in the butter and oil until soft. Add the chicken and apricots. Cover and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked, basting frequently. Remove lid for final 15 minutes of cooking so that the chicken breast browns. Correct seasoning and serve.

CHICKEN SCALOPPINE WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Slice each chicken thigh open like a book and lay it flat between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder, a wine bottle or the bottom of a heavy skillet, pound each piece of chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Put two large skillets over medium-high heat for a minute or 2. Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and put the flour and bread crumbs on two plates or in two shallow bowls. Beat the eggs in another shallow bowl. Sprinkle all with salt and pepper.
• Add 1 tablespoon each oil and butter to each skillet and swirl it around. When it is hot - a pinch of flour will sizzle - dredge a piece of the chicken in the flour, then dip it in the eggs and finally dredge it in the bread crumbs. Add the chicken piece to one of the pans, then repeat with another piece in the second pan. (You may be able to fit more than one paillard in each pan at a time.)
• Cook the chicken, rotating occasionally and regulating the heat if necessary so it sizzles constantly but doesn't burn. When the pieces are brown, after about 2 minutes, turn them over.
• Cook on the second side until the chicken is firm to the touch, 1 to 2 minutes. (Cut into one with a thin-bladed knife; the center should be white or slightly pink.) Transfer the chicken to a platter and put it in the oven. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil and butter to each skillet as necessary.
• When all the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat under one of the skillets. Add a tablespoon or 2 more oil or butter to the other pan if it looks dry and sprinkle the fat with 2 teaspoons of the remaining flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine and stir and scrape the pan until the wine has reduced by about half, about 1 minute. Add the stock and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until the mixture is slightly thickened and a bit syrupy, another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl the pan around until it melts. Add any juices that have accumulated around the cooked chicken, along with the 1/4 cup parsley. Stir, taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.