Fruit-Glazed Roast Chicken

Name: Fruit-Glazed Roast Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: 2 lemons, quartered; 2 broiler/fryer chickens (3 to 3-1/2 pounds each); 1/3 cup chicken broth; 3 tablespoons cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 3/4 cup dried apricots; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 tablespoons golden raisins; 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup water; 2 cans (16 ounces each) pear halves, drained; 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) peach halves, drained; 1 can (16 ounces) apricot halves, drained; 1 cup pitted dried plums; Lemon leaves, optional

Whenever I want to serve a special meal with a little flair, this is the recipe I reach for. To round out the dinner, I serve oven-roasted potatoes and a salad.

Ingredients

2 lemons, quartered
2 broiler/fryer chickens (3 to 3-1/2 pounds each)
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup dried apricots
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cans (16 ounces each) pear halves, drained
1 can (15-1/4 ounces) peach halves, drained
1 can (16 ounces) apricot halves, drained
1 cup pitted dried plums
Lemon leaves, optional

Directions

Place four lemon quarters in body cavity of each chicken. Skewer chicken openings; tie drumsticks together. Place chickens, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; bake at 375° for 1-1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 180°.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the broth, vinegar, lemon juice, apricots, brown sugar, raisins, ginger and salt. Process until smooth; set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until thickened. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the pears, peaches, apricots and prunes; pour hot syrup over fruit. Let stand 10 minutes; drain and set aside.
Remove chickens from oven; spread with apricot mixture. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.
Thicken pan drippings for gravy if desired. Place chickens on serving platter; spoon fruit mixture around chickens. Garnish with lemon leaves if desired. Serve with gravy if desired.

Originally published as Fruit-Glazed Roast Chicken in Country Chicken Cookbook

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brynh26

Sep 3, 2009

I made this tonight for my family and it was a big hit!!! My husband is not crazy about chicken so he was sceptical about how I was going to "mask" the chickeny flavor; but I really WOW'ed him! Thanks so much!