Shared by Jake Cohen
Apricot Chicken with Roasted Asparagus
Yield: 8-10 servingsTime: 55 minutes, plus marinating timeCookbook author (and the Jewish Food Society’s first recipe tester back in 2017!) Jake Cohen shares this recipe from his new cookbook, “Dinner Party Animal: Recipes to Make Every Day a Celebration.” While his family traditionally serves it for Passover, the sweet chicken and tender asparagus work on any holiday table. Here’s Jake, in his own words.
“Every Passover, my Aunt Susi would make her famous apricot chicken, a sweet and savory dish of baked chicken stuffed with matzo farfel and glazed with apricot preserves. And while I always thought it was Susi's genius invention, I learned a few years ago that my favorite chicken was really an iconic Joan Nathan recipe from ‘Jewish Cooking in America.’ Nevertheless, its impact remains and my love for apricot preserves and chicken has not waned. This is my take on the beloved recipe, simplified with a springy twist. We're marinating chicken thighs and drumsticks in a combo of apricot preserves and garlic before roasting them over a bed of asparagus. In the time it takes for our chicken to get a deep golden brown, our asparagus is tender, soaking up all the schmaltzy drippings. And since we marinated our chicken the night before, the whole dish comes together quickly and easily on one sheet pan. If that isn't a Passover miracle, I don't know what is!”
Try Jake Cohen’s recipes for chocolate chip walnut meringues, ghormeh sabzi brisket, and hadji bada (Iraqi Almond Cookies)
Ingredients
For the Marinated Chicken:
5 to 6 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
⅓ cup olive oil
⅓ cup apricot preserves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
For Roasting:
3 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
4 thyme sprigs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Step 1
Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the olive oil, apricot preserves, salt, pepper, and garlic to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Step 2
Roast the chicken and vegetables: Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 3
On a sheet pan, toss the asparagus, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and 2 heavy pinches each of salt and pepper to combine. Nestle the marinated chicken, skin-side up, into the asparagus.
Step 4
Roast for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer the chicken and asparagus to a platter and serve.
Chicken (step 1) can be marinated up to 1 day in advance. Chicken and vegetables can be roasted (step 4) up to 1 hour before serving, held on the sheet pan for reheating.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
