Fig Braised Chicken With Spiced Walnuts Recipes

BALSAMIC FIG GLAZED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray an 8x8'' baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
• Prepare Glaze: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds- 1 minute. Add in fig preserves, honey, balsamic vinegar and sprig of thyme. Increase heat to bring mixture to a boil and immediately reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by half, about 10-12 minutes. Use tongs to remove thyme sprig and discard.Optional for smoother glaze: Use an immersion blender (or transfer glaze to a stand blender) and puree until smooth.
• Meanwhile, season chicken: Place chicken on a clean work surface and pat the chicken dry. Season both sides of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to the prepared baking dish (they should fit snugly). Spoon the reduced glaze over the chicken, using the back of a spoon to evenly coat and distribute the glaze. Add 4 remaining sprigs of thyme to the pan.
• Roast: Transfer the baking dish to the oven. Bake (basting the chicken with the glaze once during cooking), for 35-40 minutes or until the juices run clear and chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and let chicken rest 5 minutes. Optional: Switch oven to broil during last 3-4 minutes of baking for a more golden brown chicken. Watch the chicken carefully as it can burn easily!!
• Serve: Garnish chicken with fresh thyme, walnuts and cheese if using. Enjoy!

FRESH FIGS AND CHICKEN THIGHS IN SHALLOT-BALSAMIC REDUCTION

Steps:

• Pat chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs and cook, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add figs, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and shallot. Bring contents to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and let simmer until chicken thighs are no longer pink in the centers and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centers reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 8 minutes. Transfer thighs to a serving plate and keep warm.
• Remove figs from the skillet using a slotted spoon and place them around the chicken on the plate.
• Add minced rosemary to the skillet contents, increase heat to medium-high, and allow contents to come to a full boil to create a the reduction. Continue to boil, stirring often, until liquid reduces to approximately 1 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle balsamic reduction over chicken and figs and garnish with rosemary sprigs. Serve warm.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH FIGS

Steps:

• Separate legs and thighs if not already done. Pat chicken pieces very dry. Season with salt and pepper. Cut top half-inch off onions. Peel onions, and quarter them vertically, cutting only a bit off the root end so each quarter stays intact.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat butter in a heavy ovenproof skillet, preferably one large enough to hold chicken in a single layer. Over medium-high heat, brown chicken well on both sides. If skillet is not large enough to hold all the chicken, brown it in stages, and transfer it to a roasting pan that will hold it all.
• Tuck onion quarters, thyme and bay leaves around chicken. Add white wine and enough chicken stock so liquid is about 1/2-inch deep in pan. Place chicken in oven, and cook until chicken is done, about 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven to stove. Place figs around the chicken. Place pan over medium-high heat, bring contents to a simmer, and cook a few minutes until sauce starts to get syrupy. Warm honey and vinegar in a small saucepan, and drizzle over chicken. Turning chicken in pan, cook a few minutes more, basting with pan juices.
• Remove bay leaves, check seasonings, and serve, dividing the ingredients so each plate gets a chicken leg and thigh, and 4 pieces each of fig and onion.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH FIGS AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss chicken with salt, rosemary, garlic, citrus zest and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight (the longer the better).
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread chicken pieces out on two rimmed baking sheets, making sure there is plenty of room between the pieces. Arrange figs among the chicken pieces, then scatter jalapeño slices on top. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil.
• Roast, switching the position of the baking pans after 15 minutes so everything browns evenly, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. This should take about 25 to 30 minutes for the breast meat, and 30 to 40 for the dark meat. Serve chicken with the orange or lemon wedges for squeezing, if you like.