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- Course: Main Course
- Skill Level: Moderate
- Cost: Moderate
- Favorited: 7 Times
Chicken with Prunes and Honey
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Recipe
Dja’jeh b’Ah’sal
This dish tastes very rich; it’s perfect for cold winter days. Serve with m’jedrah (Rice with Lentils), riz (Basic Syrian Rice), or orzo and a simple green salad.
Yield :
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 2 cups pitted prunes, soaked in 1 cup cold water for 15 minutes
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Chicken:
- 5 to 5½ pounds chicken pieces (white and dark meat), skinned
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Three 3-inch-long cinnamon sticks
- 2 cups cold water
To serve:
- 1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden
Directions
1. Prepare the sauce. Place the prunes and soaking water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the honey and cinnamon. Mix well and simmer until the prunes absorb some water and soften (they should be soft yet retain most of their shape), about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Prepare the chicken. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a plate.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions, stirring, until golden and soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and brown, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Add the salt, pepper, cinnamon sticks, and water, stir well, and bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
4. Uncover the skillet and cook until some of the excess liquid cooks off and the sauce has thickened to a gravy-like texture, an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Serve in large platter, garnished with the toasted almonds.
Notes
When my great-grandmother Esther decided to visit her mother in Isreal after Grandma Fritzie got married, she took her two youngest children, Evelyn and Seymour, with her, and left fourteen-year-old Adele in charge of her father, Matloub. Adele hadn’t a clue about cooking. The worst time of the week was when she sat with her finicky father to plan for Shabbat. Luckily Mary Hidary, Grandma Fritzie’s new sister-in-law, would often show up unannounced on Friday afternoon just before Shabbat, bringing Adele a pan filled with fragrant roasted chicken surrounded by mounds of friend potatoes.
© 2002 Jennifer Felicia Abadi
Nutritional Information
Nutrients per serving (% daily value)
This recipe serves 6. Nutritional information is based on using 5lbs of chicken pieces.
849kcal (42%)
126mg (13%)
6mg (10%)
106mcg RAE (4%)
1032mg
133mg
45g
36g
8g
57g
153mg (51%)
536mg (22%)
11g (55%)
52g (79%)
4mg (20%)
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