Ottolenghi’s Chicken with Potatoes, Pomegranate and Prunes

When was the last time you roasted a chicken? I’m not talking about the rotisserie kind, I mean the kind you braise in the oven with vegetables. Today’s recipe of chicken with potatoes, pomegranate and prunes sounds unusual but I made it because I’ve come to trust Yotam Ottolenghi’s flavor combinations. As an added bonus, it’s pretty much a no fuss mix it, dump it and roast it recipe that can serve as many people as you’d like.

The flavors in the dish are a fusion of chicken recipes from around the world. There’s the root vegetables from coq au vin, soy sauce and ginger from South East Asia (see this Samoan chicken recipe for an example) combined with pomegranate molasses and prunes used in Persian cooking. By the end of cooking time the onions are deliciously caramelized while the chicken and potatoes take on the color and flavor of the sauce.

This was more or less a pantry dinner for us. I only needed to buy the leg quarters and prunes. We keep Asian condiments on hand and I had just enough homemade grenadine left to use in the sauce. Ottolenghi calls for mango chutney but I used apricot jam instead. I omitted the maple syrup from the original recipe as the jam and grenadine added plenty of sweetness.

The original recipe, from Ottolenghi’s website, makes a huge tray for 8 people. Perfect for a dinner party. This recipe will make two servings, although for us it was enough for dinner plus leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ottolenghi’s Chicken with Potatoes, Pomegranate and Prunes

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Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Course: Main Course

Servings: 3 sevings

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 chicken leg quarters skin on, pin feathers removed, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 4 fist sized potatoes peeled if thick skinned and cut into large pieces (I used thin skinned white potatoes)
• 2 medium onions peeled and cut into large chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or an Italian blend of herbs
• a generous handful of pitted prunes

For the sauce

• 1 – 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger I used the stuff in the tube
• 1/3 cup soy sauce I used tamari
• 3 – 4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses I used homemade grenadine
• 2 heaping tablespoons apricot jam

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F/200C and get out a large roasting pan with a lid.
• Combine the ingredients for the sauce in your largest mixing bowl.
• If you have room, place the remaining ingredients in the bowl and turn to coat with the sauce. Then turn into the roasting pan.
• I ended up brushing the chicken with the sauce, placing the leg quarters in the roasting pan. Then I stirred the potatoes, onions, prunes, etc into the sauce and spooned this around the chicken. Pour any remaining sauce into the roasting pan. The juices from the chicken will combine with the sauce and add to the overall amount of liquid.
• Cover with a lid or foil and place into the oven.
• After 10 – 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350F/180C and continue to cook until the chicken is done and the veggies are soft; it will be about 90 minutes before the chicken is falling off the bone. Give it a stir every once in a while and turn the leg quarters at some point to let both sides cook in the sauce.
• Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with a crusty bread.

Notes

This is perfect for a dinner party. Have everything ready to go and pop it in the oven before your guests arrive.

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The biggest surprise for me was how good the prunes tasted. I will be looking for more ways to use them! I wish I had added more potatoes and onions as they cooked down nicely.  For leftovers I pulled the remaining meat from the bones and mixed the whole lot together for reheating.

I will be linking this recipe with I Heart Cooking Clubs One Pot Meals Challenge. Be sure to drop by to see what the other bloggers have made this week.