Roast Chicken With Moroccan Apricot Pan Sauce Recipes

MOROCCAN APRICOT CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add almonds; cook and stir until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. In the same skillet, brown chicken on both sides. Remove from heat. Transfer chicken to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir chili sauce, preserves, apricots, Moroccan seasoning, vanilla and garlic powder into drippings. Pour over chicken., Cook, covered, on low until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170°-175°, 4 to 4-1/2 hours. Stir in garbanzo beans and orange juice. Cook, covered, on low until heated through, 15-30 minutes longer. Serve with almonds. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH APRICOT COUSCOUS AND GREEN OLIVE SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the Moroccan Spice Mix for the Chicken: Combine the cinnamon stick, cloves, cayenne, cumin, fennel, coriander, and paprika in a dry skillet over low heat and toast for just a minute to release the fragrant oils; shake the pan so they don't scorch. In a spice mill or clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together, with 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and the brown sugar. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out, then pat it dry with paper towels. Massage the chicken skin with the spice rub; make sure you don't miss a spot. Season the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the lemons halves, cilantro, and garlic in the cavity and place the chicken in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Fold the wing tips under the bird and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Drizzle the oil all over the chicken. If you have time, let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to really get the flavors down deep into the meat. Roast the chicken for 1 hour; pop an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; if it reads 160 degrees F, it's done. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes so the juices can settle back into the meat. Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Pull the chicken from the bone and shred the meat, with your fingers or 2 forks. Put the shredded chicken in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon halves that have cooked inside the bird over the meat to moisten.
• To prepare the Apricot Couscous: Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the water over it, stir with a fork to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork. Put the apricots, almonds, green onions, mint, and cilantro on a cutting board and coarsely chop everything up; add this to the couscous. Add lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
• To prepare the Green Olive Sauce: In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the shallots and chile over low heat for 8 minutes until caramelized, then scrape into a food processor. Add the olives, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of oil; puree a good 3 minutes until totally smooth.
• To put the whole thing together: put the shredded chicken and couscous on the lavosh bread, add a few spoonfuls of the olive sauce, and roll the sandwich up. Wrap in foil and take the sandwich to a picnic, if desired.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOT GLAZE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack set in the middle position.
• Place the chicken on a cutting board and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut off and discard any extra fat hanging around the cavity, and season the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Squeeze the lemon all over the outside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with the chopped onion, 4 sprigs of thyme and at least one of the juiced lemon halves (both, if they'll fit). Tie the legs together with twine. Rub 1 tablespoon oil all over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
• Carefully pour 3 cups chicken broth into a rimmed baking sheet and scatter over the crushed garlic cloves and remaining 4 thyme sprigs. Place the chicken, breast-side up, on a rack set over the baking sheet. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees and continue roasting for 1 hour more. Add additional chicken stock to the pan, as needed, to keep it from becoming dry.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together the butter, 3 tablespoons apricot preserves and the minced garlic clove until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 2 heaping tablespoons of the apricot butter to a small container and refrigerate. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the apricot butter in the bowl and whisk to thin the mixture into a glaze.
• Baste the chicken with the glaze and continue roasting for another 30 minutes or so, basting again after 15 minutes. Continue roasting until the chicken is browned and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and thigh. Loosely tent with foil if the skin is getting too brown before chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the pan from the oven and tilt the chicken to release the juices from the cavity into the pan, then transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Strain the pan drippings, remove the fat and set aside.
• While the chicken rests, in a small pan over medium heat, cook the shallot and vinegar until the vinegar is nearly all cooked away but the pan is not yet dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon apricot preserves and the reserved pan drippings, whisk together and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining cold apricot butter little by little, whisking constantly, and remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Carve chicken and serve with the seasoned jus, sliced apricots and pistachios if desired.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Slash each piece of chicken through the skin a few times, about 1 inch deep. Season with the salt and pepper and place in a large bowl or large resealable plastic bag. Whisk lemon juice, orange juice, honey, garlic, thyme, sumac and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl to combine. Add lemon slices, apricots, olives and olive brine. Pour the marinade over the chicken and cover tightly or remove as much air as possible before sealing it. Set on a small sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours, turning the bag from time to time.
• Position a rack 8 inches from the broiler heat source. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss shallots with remaining tablespoon oil and spread out on a large sheet pan, cut sides down. Place on the lower rack and cook, turning once, until starting to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and use your hands and a slotted spoon to scoop the chicken, apricots, lemon slices and olives onto the pan, reserving the marinade. Arrange in an even layer with the chicken skin side up and return to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, baste the chicken with the drippings, and cook until chicken juices run clear, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the oven. Heat the broiler to high.
• Pour the reserved marinade and wine over the chicken, and broil until the chicken is browned and the liquid is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. If the apricots start to get too dark, turn them over in the sauce. Transfer to a platter. If you used chicken breasts, cut them in half. Pour the sauce over everything or serve it on the side.