Holiday Honey Chicken with Fruit

Name: Holiday Honey Chicken with Fruit
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups orange juice; 1 cup honey; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 to 2 tablespoons grainy mustard; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 8 5- to 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves, trimmed; 1 cup pitted prunes; 1 cup dried apricot halves

Fruit Chicken Honey Passover Jewish Healthy Mustard Chicken Breast Lunch Make Ahead Poultry Main Dish Easy

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6 to 8 servings Easy

(3) Total: 55 mins, plus marinating time Active: 10 mins

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Ingredients (9)

2 cups orange juice
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 5- to 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves, trimmed
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup dried apricot halves

Nutritional Information

Calories712
Fat8.77g
Saturated fat1.83g
Trans fat0.02g
Carbs87.91g
Fiber4.13g
Sugar76.13g
Protein73.09g
Cholesterol229.71mg
Sodium666.05mg
Nutritional Analysis per serving (6 servings) Powered by

Tip

How to Store Chicken

Raw or cooked chicken can be stored in a refrigerator for a few days, though it’s important to prevent raw chicken juices from leaking and contaminating other foods. Ensure that chicken remains in its original packaging (which should be vacuum-sealed or tightly-wrapped) until it is ready to be cooked.

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Tip

How to Freeze Chicken

While freezing will make your chicken less tender and juicy, it is the perfect way to store the family-sized pack you bought at Costco last weekend. Remove the chicken from its original packaging and rewrap it tightly using aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or freezer paper. Double wrap if you are planning to store the chicken for more than two months. Ground chicken can last up to three months in the freezer, while chicken pieces can last up to nine.

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Tip

How to Thaw Chicken

You should never thaw chicken at room temperature, as it is highly susceptible to bacteria growth. Frozen chicken should either be thawed in the microwave, in the refrigerator, or in cold water (which should be changed every 30 minutes).

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My mother, Huddy Cohen, prepares this chicken for Sabbath and High Holiday meals. In the past she made it in larger quantities to serve at congregational holiday dinners at our synagogue, Temple Israel, in Blytheville, Arkansas. Mom makes a dried-fruit compote that I love, so I decided to combine both recipes here, making a really colorful dish. As this cooks, stir it a few times so the fruit stays below the juices and doesn’t burn. This makes lots of juice, so you will want to serve it with fluffy white rice. (I’m partial to Carolina Gold Rice.)

Note: Recipes in Marcie Cohen Ferris’s book Matzoh Ball Gumbo were compiled from a diverse mix of Jewish Southerners who have blended religion and region through home cooking.

This recipe was featured as part of our Southern Seder menu.

from: Matzoh Ball Gumbo by Marcie Cohen Ferris

Instructions

1In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, honey, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in a shallow glass dish or a large zip-top freezer bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, or seal and squish the bag to coat it. (If using a bag, place in a bowl to guard against leaks.)
2Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
3To bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a large roasting pan. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the prepared pan, and scatter the dried fruit over and around the chicken. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken, discarding the remainder.
4Bake, basting the chicken and pressing the fruit down into the juices once or twice, until the chicken is no longer pink in the thickest part, about 45 minutes. Serve the chicken with the fruit and pan juices.

Beverage pairing: Masi Campofiorin Ripasso, Italy. The predominance of dried red fruit and honey in the recipe suggests a wine that has some of the same qualities. Amarone from Italy is one such wine, though it tends to be a bit big to pair with chicken. Its little brother, ripasso, made by passing new wine over the same grape skins that were previously used to make amarone, is therefore a great choice. This one, full of dried red fruits, cherries and earth, is both a great match and a great value.