Chicken With Shallots Dates And Apricots Recipes

CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle them generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until it begins to smoke. Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, in the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving, until golden brown.
• Using tongs, turn the chicken breasts skin side up, place the skillet in the oven, and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, combine the white wine, lemon juice, and shallots and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until only 2 tablespoons of liquid remain in the pan. If it reduces too much, add an extra splash of white wine or water. Add the cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a full boil. Remove from the heat, add the diced butter, and swirl the pan until the butter is incorporated. Don't reheat or the sauce will "break"! Sprinkle with salt and serve the chicken hot with the sauce spooned over it.

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS AND DATES

Steps:

• Set the chicken out at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Position a rack in the top third of your oven.
• Place your largest cast-iron skillet in the oven for 15 minutes. Pat the chicken breasts dry and generously season them on all sides with salt and pepper. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and place it on the stovetop. Add the grapeseed oil to the skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until the oil has a subtle ripple effect. You want the oil to be very hot. Working in two batches, cook the chicken, skin-side down, until the skin is crispy and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan.
• Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it onto a plate as you build your sauce. Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet and add the shallots. Cook the shallots undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes, until they are caramelized and golden. Add the garlic, a few thyme sprigs, 1 tablespoon of the butter, and season with salt and pepper. Toss the shallots and continue to cook until they begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce it by half. Add a few more thyme sprigs and the stock. Simmer the sauce over medium to low heat for 15 minutes, until reduced slightly. Check for seasoning and add the dates and olives to the sauce.
• Return the chicken breasts to the skillet, skin-side up, and place it in the oven. Roast the chicken until it's just cooked through, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast should register 160°F (70°C).
• Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate; set them aside and keep warm. Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium to low heat and add the vinegar to the sauce. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the lemon juice. Check and adjust the seasoning. Return the chicken to the skillet and serve it immediately, garnished with the remaining thyme and the lemon zest.

ONE-PAN ROAST CHICKEN AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed oven-safe pot or skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, add the shallots to the pot, season with salt, and sauté them in the butter until they begin to soften and caramelize, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Lower the heat as needed if shallots are browning too quickly. Add the mustard and thyme and stir until the mustard coats the shallots evenly and begins to brown. Add the wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any brown bits.
• Meanwhile, season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper on both sides. When the wine simmers, add the chicken pieces to the pan and transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 40 to 50 minutes or until the skin is nicely brown and crisp. Remove pan from oven.
• Using a spoon, swirl around the sauce and take a taste. If it tastes good, serve it. If it tastes fatty, transfer the meat and shallots to a platter, pour the juices into a Pyrex and let them sit until the fat rises, about 5 minutes. Skim off the fat. Return the juices, chicken and shallots to the pan. Return to the oven or bring to a simmer stove top to reheat. If chicken isn't as brown as you would like, you can stick it under the broiler too. Serve immediately with crusty bread and a salad.

CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS, DATES AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• If preferred, trim the fat and skin from the chicken. Rinse, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid (to be used later) over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken and bay leaves and cook until browned, about 7-10 minutes on each side. Add a 1/2 cup water, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 35-40 minutes.
• Pour off pan juices and reserve. Pile chicken on one side of the pan, raise the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook until the soften, about 2 minutes.
• Add wine and vinegar, and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add dates and apricots, then redistribute the chicken in the pot.
• Add the reserved liquid and simmer until chicken is heated through and tender, about 12-15 minutes.
• Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve immediately.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS AND DATES

Steps:

• Mix garlic, orange juice, cumin, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small bowl. Pour mixture in a ziplock bag.
• Add chicken and shake to coat and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• Saute onion until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Remove onion and set aside and add contents of ziplock bag to skillet and saute just until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer chicken along with onions to crock pot.
• Add broth, apricots and dates to crock pot and stir to combine.
• Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Slash each piece of chicken through the skin a few times, about 1 inch deep. Season with the salt and pepper and place in a large bowl or large resealable plastic bag. Whisk lemon juice, orange juice, honey, garlic, thyme, sumac and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl to combine. Add lemon slices, apricots, olives and olive brine. Pour the marinade over the chicken and cover tightly or remove as much air as possible before sealing it. Set on a small sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours, turning the bag from time to time.
• Position a rack 8 inches from the broiler heat source. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss shallots with remaining tablespoon oil and spread out on a large sheet pan, cut sides down. Place on the lower rack and cook, turning once, until starting to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and use your hands and a slotted spoon to scoop the chicken, apricots, lemon slices and olives onto the pan, reserving the marinade. Arrange in an even layer with the chicken skin side up and return to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, baste the chicken with the drippings, and cook until chicken juices run clear, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the oven. Heat the broiler to high.
• Pour the reserved marinade and wine over the chicken, and broil until the chicken is browned and the liquid is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. If the apricots start to get too dark, turn them over in the sauce. Transfer to a platter. If you used chicken breasts, cut them in half. Pour the sauce over everything or serve it on the side.

SPICED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH DATES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425˚. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, the paprika and brown sugar. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, reduce the heat to medium and cook until browned, 6 minutes. Flip the chicken; transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until cooked through, 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
• Pour off the juices from the skillet; reserve. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and set over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, undisturbed, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Toss; cook until tender, 2 more minutes. Add the dates and vinegar; cook until the vinegar is reduced, 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook until reduced, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the reserved skillet juices and any juices from the plate of chicken.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles in the boiling water as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the noodles and return to the pan. Add the butter and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. Toss until coated, adding more cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper and stir in 3 tablespoons parsley.
• Slice the chicken and top with the sauce. Serve with the noodles; sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH DATES AND MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and flour. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken pieces to pot and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to baking sheet or platter; repeat with remaining chicken. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot and discard. Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots to pot; sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high; add broth and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until shallots begin to soften, about 18 minutes. Place chicken pieces atop shallots in pot. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until juices run clear when thickest part of drumstick is pierced with knife, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer chicken and shallots to platter; tent with foil. Boil juices in pot until slightly thickened. Stir in dates and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer gently until dates are heated through, about 2 minutes. Pour sauce and dates over chicken. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro, and serve.