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Chicken, Fragrant Fig (M)
Source: "The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking" by Phyllis Glazer
Serves: 4 to 6

1 3-1/2 to 4-pound chicken, whole or cut into pieces
12 dried figs
1-1/2 cups muscatel wine (see note)
4 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1 tsp. coriander, ground
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves

Rinse chicken and place in a bowl. Pour boiling water over to cover and let stand for 2 or 3 minutes. Using a sharp knife, scrape the skin to remove excess surface fat. Pat dry and set aside.

Rinse the figs and snip off the tops with scissors. Place chicken and figs in a single layer in a large roasting pan.

In a small bowl, mix wine, honey, cinnamon, coriander, salt, pepper, and bay leaves and pour over chicken. Cover and marinate for 1 to 4 hours in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roast chicken, basting and turning occasionally, until it is tender and brown, approximately 1 hour. Serve chicken and figs with a little pan juice poured over the top. May be prepared several hours in advance and reheated in the oven.

Note: Muscatel wine is the rich, sweet dessert wine made from muscat grapes and having some of their musky flavor.

Poster's Notes:
This recipe was in my local newspaper today in an article about Yom Kippur.

It was credited to "The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking," by Phyllis Glazer.

Posted by Diana Freilich

Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A