Could someone tell me how many people this recipe would serve? TIA

O

orchid

Well-known member
Chicken with Figs and Port

Ingredients:

3 1/2 pounds chicken pieces, skin removed

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon cumin

freshly ground black pepper

10 garlic cloves

2 onions, sliced

2 bay leaves

12 to 15 fresh figs

1 cup ruby port

grated zest and juice of a lemon

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Rub spices onto chicken. Arrange chicken in a roasting dish. Put garlic, onions, figs and bay on top. Add port. Bake covered for 50 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and zest and return to oven. Bake uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes longer or until meat is very tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over rice or polenta.

 
i think that if i were gonna do that recipe, i'd sub...

cinnamon for the cumin.

let us know how it turns out. (but then again, it's not my recipe.)

SIA.

 
Whew...brains really not in gear today! 3 1/2 # is the size of a chicken.

Just didn't think of it that way. Thanks!

 
Um..no cumin? We love cumin, I couldn't leave that out. But why

cinnamon? We are not crazy about sweet so with the figs (that I need to do something to use them up)wouldn't cinnamon just make it sweeter? Oh man, I'm soooo confused! :eek:)

 
If you're not into "sweet," then you may be looking at the wrong recipe. Between the port and

the figs, it sounds definitely sweet. I don't think the garlic, onions or lemon juice will take away enough of the sweetness to make it "unsweet." Maybe a dry red wine would work out better for you than a ruby port.

 
You're probably right Meryl. I'm looking for some way to use up figs. I knew

I shouldn't have bought them. Ugh!

 
Here's a recipe you might want to consider - it uses dry red wine and feta.

(I haven't tried this one myself).

FETA-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH FIG SAUCE

Serves 4

3 tblsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Salt and fresh ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
½ c. feta cheese, crumbled
8 fresh figs, trimmed, halved lengthwise and chopped into sixths
1-1/2 c. red wine (shiraz, malbec, zinfandel or a blend will work well)
1 tblsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tblsp. cornstarch mixed with 1/3 c. water
1 bag baby spinach, thick stems removed

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat 1 tblsp. of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly caramelized. Set aside.

Cut a horizontal slit in each chicken breast to create a pocket. Season each fillet with salt and pepper and stuff with all the feta cheese and half of the caramelized onions. Reserve the remaining onions to add to your sautéed spinach.

Heat 1 tblsp. of the oil in a skillet (I like cast iron.) over medium-high and add the stuffed chicken breasts. Sear until the chicken is browned, about 4 minutes, then turn and sear the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. Place the chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with a knife in the thickest part of the fillet.

While the chicken bakes, make the fig sauce. Turn the heat under your skillet to low. Add the figs, let them sear for 30 seconds, then add the wine. Bring to a simmer, increasing the heat slightly if necessary, and simmer until reduced by nearly half. Add the balsamic vinegar, then add 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch mixture. Stir to incorporate. The sauce should thicken slightly. If you want a thicker consistency, add one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired thickness. I generally add about 3 tablespoons. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, add the rest of the oil to your nonstick skillet and heat over medium. Just when the chicken comes out of the oven, add the spinach and the reserved onions. Season with a little salt and pepper and sauté until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.

Place a mound of spinach on each plate and put a chicken breast to the side of spinach. Spoon the fig sauce over the chicken, drizzle a little around the plate and serve.

http://www.aminglingoftastes.com/2006/07/seasonal-mnage-trois-fresh-figs.html

 
Here's another that sounds good: Moroccan Chicken with Coriander, Lemon and Dried Figs

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH CORIANDER, LEMON AND DRIED FIGS

Ingredients

1 3/4 oz plain flour
2 chickens, cut into preferred serving size pieces
2 ½ Tbs olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
3 1/3 cup chicken stock
1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
2 lemons, zest and juice
16 dried Calimyrna figs, stems trimmed, cut in half lengthwise

Directions

Season the flour with salt and pepper then add the chicken pieces to a plastic bag with the flour and seal. Shake vigorously to coat all the chicken pieces evenly with the flour.

Add the oil to a large pot and add as many of the chicken pieces as will fit comfortably and saute over a high heat until the chicken is brown on all sides. Remove the browned pieces and add more oil if necessary, cooking the remaining pieces. Remove and keep warm.

To the pan in which the chicken was cooked in, add the onions and garlic and saute until golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, 1/2 the coriander and the lemon juice and zest and bring to the boil.

Add the figs and chicken with any accumulated juices to pot. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 35 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to bowl and cover with foil to keep the chicken warm. Boil juices in pot until thickened to a sauce consistency, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle remaining coriander over and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 12

http://www.recipe-serve.com/californiafigs/recipes/index-s.html

 
I have a recipe for Chicken braised with Figs. I made it last weekend - very good.

I would be happy to post it tomorrow if you like. It's from Daisy Martinez's cookbook. The chicken is browned and then braised in a brown sauce. It's not sweet, just very rich.

 
Hallie, Do you like her cookbook? It has been on my list. I enjoy her show. Would love your

thoughts....
Regards,
Barb

 
Hi Barb - we also try to catch her show on tv. I've only made a coupla recipes so far,

but they have all been delicious. So far I've made the flan several times and chicken and figs, but we have a list of others to try very soon. I think her recipes are well written. The explanation of specialty ingredients is very clear and there are plenty of pictures (a personal preference in cookbooks). If you like Ina Garten's cookbook, which I really do, I think you will like this one too.

Hope that helps.

Hallie

 
Daisy Martinez's Chicken with Figs

2 four pound chickens cut into 10 pcs.
Fine sea or kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
veg. or canola oil
2 one pound bags of dried figlets or 2 pounds dried figs cut in half or 1 pint fresh fig washed and cut in quarters
Rich Brown Sauce (recipe follows)

Make brown sauce and reserve the bacon as directed

While sauce is simmering, brown the chicken. Season all the pieces generously with salt and pepper. Pour enough oil into a large deep skillet to lightly coat the bottom. Heat over medium high heat until the oil is rippling. Add to the pan as many pieces of chicken, skin side down, as will fit without crowding. Cook turning once, until DARK golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. The chicken doesn't have to be cooked through, it will finish cooking in the sauce. Transfer the browned pieces to a large pan with lid or dutch oven and brown the rest of the chicken in batches if necessary.

Meanwhile, pour enough boiling water over the dried figs in a heat proof bowl to cover them completely. Let stand until the figs are softened, about 20 minutes depending on the figs. You don't need to do this if you are using fresh figs. Drain the figs and discard the liquid.

Return all chicken to the pan. Ladle the sauce through a fine strainer over the chicken. Scatter the reserved bacon and figs over the chicken, breaking up some of the figs as you go to help the sauce thicken. Bring the sauce to a boil, cover the pan, reduce to simmer and cook until the chicken is tender and the figs are very soft and have started to dissolve into the sauce, about 1 hour. If your stove top is occupied, you can finish cooking this dish in a oven preheated to 350 deg. It will take the same amount of time as the stove top version.

Serve on warm plates, spooning some of the chicken, bacon and figs for each serving.

Rich Brown Sauce, Daisy Style

1 lb. slab bacon or thickest bacon
3 stalks celery, trimmed and cut into 2" pcs.
2 carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 2" pcs.
1 lg. spanish onions cut into 2" chunks
2 big sprigs of thyme or 1/2 t. dried thyme
3 T all purpose flour
2 T tomato paste
1/3 c. cognac
1 48-oz. can chicken broth
2 bay leaves
5 cloves

Remove skin from the slab bacon and cut the bacon into 1/2" slices. Cut the slices crosswise into 1/2" strips or just slice thick bacon into 1/2" slices. Toss the bacon pieces into a 4 - 5 qt. skillet and place the pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring it once or twice until it starts to give up it's fat. Cooking, stirring often, until it is well browned, about 10 minutes.

Scoop the bacon onto paper towels with a slotted spoon, reserve. Pour off almost all the fat from the pan. Add the celery, carrots, onions and thyme and cook over med. heat until lightly browned about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir everything together until the flour until it coats the vegetables and picks up all the fat. Adjust the heat to low and keep stirring until there are no traces of flour sticking to the vegetables, which would give an unpleasant taste to the finished sauce. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the cognac. Return the pan to the heat and boil until the cognac has almost evaporated. Stand back from the pan once you add the cognac, there is a chance it could flame up.

Pour the broth into the pan and stir to dissolve the flour. Add the bay leaves and cloves and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the sauce is at a gentle boil and cook, stirring occasionally , until the sauce is lightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Skim off the foam and fat that rises to the surface as the sauce cooks. Strain the sauce.

From Daisy Cooks, Daisy Martinez

Hallie's Notes: I made the whole thing in my le creuset 5qt brasier and finished in the oven. I made the sauce first, strained into a bowl and then rinsed out the the pan and started browning the chicken. I made this for guests so I wanted it to be easier to eat. I used 4 or 5 skin-on boneless chicken breasts, 5 skin-on thighs and 4 legs. I cut the breasts in half so everything was about the same size and made more white meat per person. So I used more than two chickens. Next time I will just skip the legs and probably try boneless thighs too. It's important to let the chicken skin brown very well. I used fresh figs, brown turkey figs I think. I think this cut down on the sweetness of the dish because the fresh figs were not that sweet to begin with. There were really no discernable figs in the finished dish, they cooked down into the sauce. The sauce is very rich and lovely. I cut my celery and carrots into 1" chunks and browned until there was nice carmelization. I had to add a little more flour than 3 T because I must have left more bacon grease in the pan than was necessary. I also pushed a bit on the solids while i was straining the sauce to extract all that yummy flavor. I also sprinkled liberally with chopped parsley to add some color to the finished dish.

I will definitely make this again. We served it salad and white rice and warm cuban bread.

 
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