Chicken with Date Honey, Ginger and Orange

I know brisket is traditional for Rosh Hashanah but have you seen the price of brisket this year?

Yikes!

How about chicken instead?

Please don’t say “ho hum.” Chicken absolutely doesn’t have to be boring.

For example — this recipe for chicken with honey and a little spike of fresh ginger. Plus some refreshing orange.

I’ve made this dish with both bee honey and date honey (silan). Either way, it’s a perfect choice for Rosh Hashanah.

Chicken with Date Honey, Ginger and Orange

• one cut up chicken (or 6-8 pieces)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 1/4 cup date honey (or substitute regular honey)

• 1 large shallot, chopped

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chili pepper, optional (or use a pinch of cayenne pepper)

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in an ovenproof pan. Dry the chicken pieces and cook them a few at a time in the pan until they brown lightly, about 6-8 minutes. Mix the orange juice and date honey and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the shallot, ginger, orange peel, chili pepper, rosemary and salt to taste. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Serve the chicken with the pan juices.

Makes 6 servings 

Tropical Chicken with Pineapple, Mango and Avocado

People say that January is a month of Mondays. The big ugh at the beginning of the week, or in this case, the year, when it seems like there’s so much to do and accomplish. And it still gets dark out early in the day. And it’s cold and snowy and blowy and all you want to do is stay home where you’re warm and relax and maybe read a book or play a game or watch an old movie. But you can’t because it’s Monday or January and there’s so much to do.

I know lots of people who head for spots where there’s warmer weather when January comes.

I’m not one of them. 

But that’s okay. Long ago I read a magazine article that suggested making “tropical” kinds of food on days (weeks, months) like this. You know, to sort of lift your spirits by pretending you’re on some beautiful beach at some swell resort. Like in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” when the Baileys can’t make it to their honeymoon destination and their friends put up posters of tropical paradises so they make believe they’re actually in one of them.

The magazine article included a terrific bunch of recipes, including one for “Tropical Chicken.”

I don’t remember the magazine and don’t have the original recipe. But I do remember the advice. And I wrote down the ingredients and instructions (although I’ve changed it from time to time over the year). I’ve made this dish many times over the years.

So, here it is: Tropical Chicken. To warm you up if you happen to be cold or it’s snowy where you are and you need a bit of heat and sunshine, at least for pretend, when it comes to dinner:

Tropical Chicken

1 broiler-fryer chicken, cut into 8 parts

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 large pineapple, cut into chunks

1 cup pineapple juice

1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks

1 papaya or mango, peeled and cut into chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the chicken pieces a few at a time for 8-10 minutes or until the pieces have browned. Remove the chicken to a baking dish. Sprinkle with the onion, chili powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Place pineapple chunks around the chicken. Pour the juice over the chicken and fruit. Bake about 40 minutes, basting occasionally. Add the avocado and mango the pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Makes 4 servings

Dukkah Crusted Chicken

Dukkah is the new goat cheese. Or maybe the new kale chips or sun-dried tomatoes.

What I mean is, dukkah is the “new” culinary discovery, the rage. It’s hot!

I’ve been reading about dukkah in lots of places recently, like the Huffington Post and New York Times. I’ve even written about it myself — for the Connecticut Post and as a guest blogger for my Kosher Connection colleague Yosef Silver’s blog, This American Bite.

I’m always amused and amazed at trends, culinary or otherwise. Like the 1980’s cabbage patch doll craze. And I mean craze. When the dolls were in short supply, parents and grandparents scrambled in a frenzy to buy them and paid all sorts of scalper prices for them. 

My Dad waited on line outside Macy’s for over four hours so he could get these dolls for my daughters.

Four hours.

But he got them.

Today would have been his birthday, so, good for you Dad, such a good father and grandfather, and Happy Birthday.

But back to trends …

Culinary trends can be just as energizing and quick to catch on. Suddenly everyone wants a taste of whatever it is that’s “new.” Like goat cheese, first imported from France in the 1980s. It caught on like a California wildfire. The French had always eaten goat cheese, so it really wasn’t new. But it was for us Americans, who take it for granted now.

Same with sun-dried tomatoes, another biggie from the late 1970s, long known in Italy, but a “new” trend here.

And now there’s dukkah. It isn’t “new” either. It’s a traditional, well-loved spice blend popular in Egypt and in other parts of the Middle East. But it’s fairly new for us. 

Dukkah is a blend of nuts, seeds and spices. The recipe is incredibly flexible, like any spice blend. It’s typically used as a dipping mixture for pita bread (or other flatbread that you dip in olive oil first). But I use dukkah to season fish, meat, poultry and vegetables.

Because dukkah is so flavorful, you need just a small amount for seasoning, (I sprinkle about one tablespoon’s worth over a cut up chicken). It’s much too bold for use as a coating (like for fried fish or boneless chicken breasts). But you can mix in a couple of tablespoons to perk up plain bread crumbs.

I don’t know if dukkah is one of those hot food trends that’s here to stay (like hoisin sauce) or not (think blackened fish).

Whether or not, it is good, interesting and worth a taste. Here’s my recipe. Store unused portions in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Nuts get rancid quickly, especially in the warm weather.

Dukkah Crusted Chicken

Dukkah

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 cup whole hazelnuts

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Place the pistachios and hazelnuts in an unoiled pan and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the sesame seeds and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the ingredients are lightly toasted. Remove the pan from the heat and place the pas aside to cool. Place the mixture in a food processor or spice grinder and process until finely chopped. Mix in the coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and paprika. Makes just under one cup

Baked Chicken with Fig-Orange-Balsamic Sauce

Baked Chicken with Fig-Orange-Balsamic Sauce

To me, chicken is the “basic black dress” of food. Because, like a basic black dress, you can do all sorts of things with it.

You can dress chicken up or play it down. Make it humble or fancy. Cook it plain or add all sorts of stuff, like stuffing, fruits or vegetables. Make it mild or with lots of seasonings.

Chicken is so basic it goes with lots and lots of herbs, spices, condiments and other flavorings. It’s good with gravy or without. It looks different and tastes different depending on all these variables.

So, the other day I made a very simple recipe using chicken breasts and figs.

Fresh figs are in the stores for a really short time, every summer and into the fall. And if you’re like me, and like figs, now is the time to buy and use them. I knew they’d be perfect with chicken.

After I bought the figs I poached some, used some for salad and then roasted chicken breasts and added some figs to the pan for the last several minutes. I had some fresh thyme too, so I included that, sweetened the dish up with a little orange juice and gave it a little tang with some Balsamic vinegar.

Look how dark and rich this dish looks! Lots of rich, tangy-sweet sauce, perfect for steamed rice, cooked noodles or polenta.

I still have a few fresh figs left. Think I might grill them. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Baked Chicken with Fig-Orange-Balsamic Sauce

• 4 large chicken breast halves (bone-in) or whole legs

• Vegetable oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 1/3 cup orange juice

• 3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• 8 large fresh figs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the chicken. Rub the skin with the vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Place the chicken in a roasting or baking pan. Immediately reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees and roast for 15 minutes (you preheat to 400 degrees to give the chicken an immediate blast of high heat, but it needs to cook at 350 degrees after that). While the chicken is cooking, mix the chicken stock, orange juice, Balsamic vinegar, orange peel and thyme leaves in a small bowl. After the 15 minutes are up, pour the sauce over the chicken. Continue to roast the chicken for another 10 minutes. Baste and roast for another 10 minutes. Place the figs in the pan. Baste with the pan fluids. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and figs from the pan and keep them warm. Place the pan over high heat to boil the pan juices for 2-3 minutes until thickened slightly. Serve the chicken with pan fluids and roasted figs.

Makes 4 servings