Shabbat Chicken with Dried Fruit
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 cup dried apricots (prunes, or a combination of any dried fruit)
- 12 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2- inch piece fresh ginger (peeled and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 Tbsp))
- 2 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried thyme
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 3- to 4-pound chickens, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white wine
- In a small bowl, pour orange juice over dried fruit and let soak to plump the fruit, about 10 minutes. In a separate small bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, oregano, thyme, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and bay leaves.
- Place chickens in two roasting pans. Pour marinade equally over each chicken and massage into chicken. Add orange juice and fruit mixture equally to each roasting pan.
- Cover pans and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, and then drizzle equally with brown sugar and white wine. Bake until chicken is nicely browned on top and registers 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Serve with pan juices and dried fruit.
- The chicken tastes best when marinated a minimum of 4 hours and preferably overnight.
