A luscious chicken recipe: Tuscan Chicken, with olives, almonds and dried fruits. Photo courtesy Mezzetta.com.

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June 2011

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Poultry

Tuscan Chicken Recipe

Almonds, Olives, Prunes & Apricots Make This Farmhouse Dish A Delight

Introduction

While there are endless ways to cook chicken, Tuscan Chicken, a farmhouse recipe, packs a huge flavor punch. There is so much added nutrition from fruits and nuts—which are so plentiful in the dish that it’s virtually a main and a side in one.

Serve Tuscan Chicken with rice or noodles—brown rice or whole wheat noodles are the better nutritional choice.

Recipe

Tuscan Chicken Ingredients

Do the preparation a day in advance of serving, so the chicken can marinate overnight. The asterisked ingredients are available in jars from Mezzetta.

• 4 chickens, 2-1/2 lbs. each, quartered
• 2 tablespoons crushed garlic*
• Fresh-ground pepper and coarse salt (kosher salt or sea salt) to taste
• 1/4 cup dried oregano
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 2/3 cup dried apricots
• 4 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice*
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil*
• 1/2 cup pitted cured olives*†
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives*†
• 2/3 cup pitted prunes
• 1 quince or Fuji apple, diced
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1/2 cup julienne-cut sundried tomatoes*
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
• 1/4 cup Italian (flat) parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Tuscan Chicken Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, oregano, pepper and salt to taste. Add almonds, apricots, bay leaves, capers and juice, olive oil, olives, prunes, quince, rosemary, sundried tomatoes and vinegar. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans; evenly spoon marinade over chicken.
4. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar, salt and pepper. Pour white wine around the chicken.
5. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.
6. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.

Recipe © Copyright Mezzetta 2011. © Copyright 2005- Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved.  Images are the copyright of their respective owners.