This recipe is my “go to” chicken. I’ve made it almost every Passover and Rosh Hashana since I found it. many moons ago. The original recipe is from the “Silver Palate” cookbook. It has been a staple on my holiday table for as far back as I can remember. It’s really a perfect recipe for any time of the year.
*the key to this recipe is an overnight marination so don’t skip that and obviously 4 chickens is a lot of chicken depending on how many people you have and what other dishes you have you can cut in 1/2 easily!
Enjoy! and Happy Passover to all of those who celebrate.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives (no pimentos)( if you can’t find, just pick out pimentos)
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed(chopped well)app. 10-12 cloves in a head
1/4 cup dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I start with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.)
4 chickens, cut into eighths (original recipe calls for chickens to be quartered but I find that you get more per person if you do it in eighths.) the chickens are about 2 1/2 lbs. apiece , so it’s about 10 lbs. of chicken . Sometimes I ask the butcher to cut the breasts in 1/2, if they are very large.
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
Directions:
Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and their juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. ( You can combine in a large bowl, but I use a large Ziploc bag.) Add the chicken, then stir or mix around to coat well. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take a large shallow baking pan (you may need 2), arrange the chicken in a single layer and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Then sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.
Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices until the thigh pieces yield a clear yellow juice (don’t want it pink). It takes anywhere between 50 to 60 minutes to cook. (Test thigh with a fork.)
When you are ready to serve, transfer the chicken with a slotted spoon to serving platter. Moisten with some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley. You can pass the remaining juices in a gravy boat.
*should serve 10 or more
* this chicken is delicious cold or at room temperature. If you make ahead and it is in fridge, just remove from fridge, reheat it in the juices, then allow to come to room temperature.
Cooking with Candi 