I know pomegranates are a Rosh Hashanah food, but lately they have been beautiful, giant, and on sale! And I like them no matter what time of the year it is. So, when I saw this recipe for roasted chicken with this sweet and crispy skin, I knew I had to try it, especially because I got some Silan, a date syrup that the recipe called for.
I be you’re wondering what I’m talking about.
A couple of week ago, I attended a wonderful event at Pomegranate Supermarket in Brooklyn. Susie Fishbein, the author of the Kosher by Design series, gave us a wonderful cooking demo and a copy of her amazing cookbook, Kosher by Design Cooking Coach. Every single recipe has a full page and pictures! We also got a few of Susie’s favorite ingredients, including Silan, a sweet syrup made with dates. I couldn’t wait to get home and test all of the delicious ingredients, and knew I needed to use the Silan first.
This chicken was delicious! Even my husband, who scoffs at bone-in roasted chicken, loved this, especially the sweet skin. I don’t like skin, so I gave mine to him. Bonus.
Did I mention how much I love the cookbook? Not only does it have a ton of kosher recipes, organized by category, it also has advice, information on cuts of meat and the best way to cook them, and just basic cooking information that beginner and expert cooks can use. The first time I flipped through it, I bookmarked many recipes, and I made three last week. This is just one of them. More to come on the blog, I hope.
Ingredients:
- 12 chicken pieces (I used only dark meat)
- 1/2 cup silan (or, if you can’t find it, honey)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pomegranate juice (I love Pom!)
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (find some without HFCS or make your own)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange the chicken on a single layer on a baking sheet (foil-lined makes clean up much easier)
3. In a small pot over medium heat, whisk the silan, brown sugar, pomegranate juice, teriyaki sauce, corn starch, tomato paste, thyme, and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium heat for a minute or two until thickend.
4. Whisk in the oil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for one minute.
5. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the sauce, for finishing.
6. Brush the sauce over each piece of chicken, then drizzle additional sauce over each piece.
7. Bake chicken, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes, brushing with the sauce every 15 minutes during cooking.
8. When the chicken is ready and no longer pink in the middle, put on the broiler and broil the chicken for 1 minute, or when the skin is crispy. Keep a close eye on it and put on your timer! If it’s not cripsy after 1 minute, put it in for another.
9. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and the reserved sauce.
