Denise says:
Ashkenazis Jews for decades have been eating chicken on Yom Tov and Friday nights. There is no Halachic reason for this; it is simply the age-old cuisine that European Jewry have adopted. It is for many families the only time everyone sits down together and extended family is present. Friday night dinner is the best meal of the week with a three course meal and more effort with the cooking is expected and certainly appreciated by the family.
My children take it in turn to choose the menu and this is one of their all time favourites. I tend to prepare the chicken in the morning, cover it and leave it in the fridge until just before placing it in the oven. This gives the red wine and rosemary time to permeate their flavours into the flesh of the chicken. The dried apricots swell up and become melt- in- the -mouth pieces of fruit as they soak up the red wine and chicken juices.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients:
2.3 kg / 5 pound roasting chicken – giblets removed (keep for chicken soup)6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
475ml red wine
1 onion – peeled and roughly chopped
250g dried apricots
200ml water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1) Pre-heat the oven to 190 C/ 375 F/ Gas 5 mark.2) Place the sprigs of rosemary underneath the skin of the breast.
3) Put the chicken in a large roasting tin breast side down. Pour over the red wine, water and chopped onion.
4) Add the apricots and season well.
5) Cover with aluminium foil and roast for approximately 2 hours.
6) Remove from the oven and leave for 10 minutes to rest before carving.
Serve with roast potatoes, kugel or rice and a selection of green vegetables.