Chicken with Port and Figs
Source of Recipe
Marla
Recipe Introduction
Start fall off right with a scrumptious roasted chicken supper. Top the chicken with a heavenly sauce made from port wine, lemon zest, and dried figs, and you have turned an everyday meal into an extraordinary one. Look for ruby port; it is the lightest and fruitiest in flavor and will lend the richest color to your sauce. Black mission figs, with their purple-black color, will blend in perfectly; or for a contrasting green variety, try Calamine figs.
List of Ingredients
Chicken with Port and Figs
8 dried figs, tough stems removed
1 cup water
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon port
2 3-inch-long strips lemon zest
1 chicken (3 to 3 1/2 pounds), quartered
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
1 Tbs butter, cut into four pieces
Recipe
1 Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pierce each fig three or four times with a paring knife. In a small stainless-steel saucepan, combine the figs, water, the 2/3 cup port, and the lemon zest. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Discard the zest and reserve the poaching liquid. Cut the figs in half.
2 Meanwhile, coat the chicken with the oil and arrange the pieces, skin-side up, in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon port and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Top each piece of chicken with a piece of the butter. Cook until the breasts are just done, about 30 minutes. Remove the breasts and continue to cook the legs until done, about 5 minutes longer. Remove the roasting pan from the oven; return the breasts to the pan.
3 Heat the broiler. Broil the chicken until the skin is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
4 Pour off the fat from the roasting pan. Set the pan over moderate heat and add the fig-poaching liquid. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits. Boil until reduced to approximately 1/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add the figs, any accumulated juices from the chicken, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
Servings: 4
|
|