Balsamic and Fig Chicken

Balsamic and Fig Glazed Chicken

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Yield: 1 whole chicken

Rating: It does has a couple of steps, but the result is gorgeous and delicious. You can do it.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1 cup good quality balsamic vinegar

½ cup fig preserves (if you can’t find fig, then use apricot)

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped small

6 cloves fresh garlic, chopped small

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

3 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

3 shallots, peeled and cut into quarters

12- 14 fresh figs, sliced in half length-wise

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375.

Place your balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over a very low heat. You want the vinegar to start to simmer and to reduce to ½ a cup. The more it simmers the thicker it becomes. At the ½ cup mark, the vinegar will coat the back of a spoon. To check my work, and confirm I'm at 1/2 a cup, I usually pour it into a measuring cup to make sure.

After it reduces, add to the pot your preserves, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 2 cloves (about) of the chopped garlic and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Bring the mixture up to a simmer and mix to make sure all the ingredients are smooth and melted together. Remove from the heat.

Take your cleaned, dry chicken and place it in a roasting pan. Rub your olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and your remaining 4 cloves of chopped garlic all over the chicken. Make sure to get some under the skin by the breast and pull your skin back into place. Add your shallots and figs to the pan and mix with the remaining teaspoon of oil and your final ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and toss well.

Pour ¾ of your prepared sauce onto the chicken and make sure all of the skin has a coating of the sauce. Place your chicken breast side down and put the pan in the oven. Cook for a total of 1 hour and 5 minutes. Baste your chicken with the remaining sauce from your saucepan every 10 minutes. You can also alternate by using the drippings in the pan to baste as well. After 30 minutes flip your chicken breast side up and continue your basting routine, until the chicken is finished.

To re-warm for serving put the pan in a 225 degree oven uncovered until hot.

Plan Ahead: This dish is best made the day you intend to serve it. However, you can prepare your sauce the day before and just warm with a tablespoon of water before you use it to cook.