Roasted Chicken With 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.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOT GLAZE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack set in the middle position.
• Place the chicken on a cutting board and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut off and discard any extra fat hanging around the cavity, and season the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Squeeze the lemon all over the outside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with the chopped onion, 4 sprigs of thyme and at least one of the juiced lemon halves (both, if they'll fit). Tie the legs together with twine. Rub 1 tablespoon oil all over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
• Carefully pour 3 cups chicken broth into a rimmed baking sheet and scatter over the crushed garlic cloves and remaining 4 thyme sprigs. Place the chicken, breast-side up, on a rack set over the baking sheet. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees and continue roasting for 1 hour more. Add additional chicken stock to the pan, as needed, to keep it from becoming dry.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together the butter, 3 tablespoons apricot preserves and the minced garlic clove until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 2 heaping tablespoons of the apricot butter to a small container and refrigerate. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the apricot butter in the bowl and whisk to thin the mixture into a glaze.
• Baste the chicken with the glaze and continue roasting for another 30 minutes or so, basting again after 15 minutes. Continue roasting until the chicken is browned and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and thigh. Loosely tent with foil if the skin is getting too brown before chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the pan from the oven and tilt the chicken to release the juices from the cavity into the pan, then transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Strain the pan drippings, remove the fat and set aside.
• While the chicken rests, in a small pan over medium heat, cook the shallot and vinegar until the vinegar is nearly all cooked away but the pan is not yet dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon apricot preserves and the reserved pan drippings, whisk together and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining cold apricot butter little by little, whisking constantly, and remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Carve chicken and serve with the seasoned jus, sliced apricots and pistachios if desired.

APRICOT ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Place chicken in a 13" x 9" baking dish; set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook preserves, wine, honey, soy sauce, oil, pepper, ginger, red pepper flakes, and green onion just until bubbly.
• Evenly pour over the chicken pieces. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

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.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOT STUFFING

Steps:

• Put 1/3 cup olive oil, the garlic, 1 tablespoon marjoram, the lemon zest and juice, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and pulse to make a paste. Loosen the chicken skin with your fingers. Rub the paste under and over the skin and inside the cavity. Put the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Make the stuffing: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red onion, celery and dried apricots and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the bread and parsley and cook, stirring, until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Fill the chicken cavity with the stuffing, tie the legs together with twine and put breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan; tuck the wings underneath. Roast until the skin begins to brown, about 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue roasting until deep golden brown, about 1 more hour. (Cover loosely with foil if it's browning too quickly.)
• Whisk the preserves and vinegar in a small bowl; brush on the chicken and continue roasting until the skin is crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 20 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Garnish with marjoram sprigs.

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.

APRICOT ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons apricot-jam mixture, and thyme leaves; season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan; roast for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat remaining teaspoon oil over medium-high heat; season chicken, and brown, 4 minutes. Remove from heat; fill cavities between breast halves with lemon, thyme branches, and fennel tops.
• Place chicken, skin side up, in a roasting pan, with vegetables around it; roast 15 minutes. Brush chicken with remaining jam; add 6 tablespoons water to pan. Roast until vegetables are tender and chicken is well browned, about 20 minutes. Discard lemon, thyme, and fennel. Bone each breast half with a sharp knife: Cut along breastbone, scraping rib cage with knife; remove meat with your fingers. Arange meat and vegetables on a serving dish. Pour pan juices over, and serve.