Double Plum Baked Chicken Recipes

CRISPY CHICKEN WITH PEACHES AND PLUMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450˚. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange skin-side down in a large ovenproof skillet (the chicken will be snug) and place over medium-high heat. Cook until the chicken skin is sizzling, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the skin is very browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes (reduce the heat slightly if the chicken is browning too quickly). Transfer the chicken skin-side up to a plate; reserve the skillet.
• Meanwhile, remove the lemon zest in wide strips using a vegetable peeler, then juice the lemon. Trim and quarter the shallots. Smash the garlic. Cut the peaches and plums into 3/4-inch-thick wedges.
• Discard all but about 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet. Add the lemon zest, shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the peaches, plums, honey and thyme sprigs, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
• Place the chicken, skin-side up, on top of the fruit and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the fruit is soft and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs. Divide among plates and top with the thyme leaves.

SHEET-PAN CHICKEN WITH ROASTED PLUMS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Toast the fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour seeds into a mortar and pound with a pestle until coarsely crushed (or lay seeds on a cutting board and pound them with a can or jar).
• Put the seeds into a large bowl and stir in lemon juice, zest, garlic, honey, allspice and red-pepper flakes.
• Season chicken generously all over with salt and pepper and add to the bowl, turning the pieces to coat them with marinade. Mix in plums and thyme sprigs. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to cook, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the chicken pieces, plums, and thyme sprigs on a rimmed baking pan. Add onions, spreading them out around the chicken and plums. Season plums and onions lightly with salt. Drizzle everything with olive oil.
• Roast until chicken is golden and cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes, removing the white meat if it's done before the dark meat.
• Transfer chicken pieces as they are done to a platter. Spoon the plums and onions around the chicken. Drizzle a little of the pan drippings over the chicken and serve, garnished with the herbs and flaky salt.

ROAST CHICKENS WITH PLUMS

Steps:

• Grate the zest from the lemons and place in a small bowl. Set aside the zested lemons.
• Stir sumac, salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice into the lemon zest. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic. The mixture should feel like wet sand. Rub it all over the chickens, including inside the cavity.
• Divide thyme bunch in half and place in the chicken cavities. Place chickens on a roasting rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, and let marinate, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to roast, let chickens come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a large roasting pan, toss together plums, shallots, honey, oil, salt, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf and 2 tablespoons water. Spread out plum mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place chickens on the rack over the plums in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from reserved lemon and mix it with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle this over the chicken, then continue to roast until the birds are golden-skinned and cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes longer.
• Let chickens rest, covered lightly with foil, for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with the plums and more thyme for garnish.