ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CITRUS & APRICOTS
*I ran out of apricots the last time I made this and subbed in prunes, which you can see in the image above. Equally as delicious as a[ricots.
ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CITRUS & APRICOTS
This is one of my favorite roasted chicken recipes it was born out of researching various Moroccan chicken dishes and has evolved over the years into this citrus version of my own. It’s warm, spiced and has a sweet heat paired with the caramelized apricots - each bite makes you want another. This dish is a serious crowd pleaser. A recipe I’ve shared with family and friends many times and everyone asks for more. Even the pickiest of eaters will love it. It’s sweet, got heat and incredible flavor. What’s not to love?
INGREDIENTS
*Serves 4ppl
Chicken Breasts and Thighs - bone in and skin on - estimate a 1/2lb to 1lb per person
1lb Non-Sulfur Apricots
1-2 Sweet Onions
1lb Carrots
1 Bag of small potatoes - red or golden - make sure they are little not roasters
6 Tangerines or any other orange citrus
½ Stick of unsalted butter
1 Quart of Pacific Chicken Stock/Broth
Honey
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Berber Seasoning or Sub Paprika
Roasting Pan
Roasted Chicken with Citrus and Apricots
HOW TO MAKE IT
PRE-HEAT THE OVEN TO 420 (on bake or roast)
APRICOTS
Juice the tangerines into a bowl
Halve the apricots and place them in the bowl. Set them aside while you prepare everything else.
CHICKEN
Pat dry your chicken and place in the roasting pan
Salt and Pepper both sides of the chicken
Add ¼ tsp of Berber to each piece of chicken
Rub the dry seasoning onto the chicken
VEGETABLES
Peel the carrots and cut them on a bias; each piece should be forkable, nothing too small about half thumb's worth
Cut the potatoes in half
Quarter the onions
Toss them all in 1 tablespoon on extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper
Add more oil if needed. The veg should all glisten a bit but not be dressed like a salad
Toss it in the Roasting pan around the chicken, not covering the chicken
Add the juice of the tangerines and the apricots now too - distribute all over the pan, mixing in with the other vegetables
Add enough chicken broth to cover the bottom of the pan - about a thumbs nails worth of broth. If the veggies are floating, you added too much.
Grab the honey - table a tablespoon and drizzle a heap of honey over each chicken piece; don't be precious about this. Just slap it on and move on.
Soak the apricots in the juice of your chosen citrus.
ONCE IN THE OVEN
Put the pan in the oven.
Cook for 25 mins (total cooking time is 45mins or until the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees)
Add ½ a stick of butter ( drop it anywhere on the veg)
Add more broth; much of it will have evaporated by now, so probably ½ a cup
Baste the chicken with the broth n butter, this will become your jus
Put it back in the oven to cook for another 20mins or so
Baste again in 10mins, then 10 mins after that
Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degree,s it’s done
Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature in the thickest part of the breast. If the breast is done, so are the thighs
Let it sit for a few and serve it all together
There should be some liquid in the bottom of the pan to use as a jus
Serve and add the jus to the platter yummmm
