Roasted Chicken with Apricots

Bone-in chicken goes into the roasting pan with onions and carrots, then gets finished with dried apricots that have been plumping in white wine the whole time. The result is a glossy, sweet-savory pan sauce thickened by roasted fruit, rounded out with thyme and a whisper of paprika.

This one earns its keep as a make-ahead holiday main. The flavors actually deepen when cooled and gently reheated in the pan juices, which is why it shows up on so many Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah tables. Deglaze the roasting pan after the chicken comes out, because that sticky caramelized fond is where the best of the sauce lives.

Chef Tips

• Soak the dried apricots in wine while you season the chicken, giving them a full hour to rehydrate and perfume the wine before they hit the pan.
• Pour off the rendered fat before adding the apricot-wine mixture. Skipping this step gives you a greasy sauce instead of a glossy one.
• Baste every 10 minutes or so during the second roast. If the pan goes dry, add a splash more wine or stock rather than water.
• Always bring the chicken back to room temperature before reheating. Cold chicken straight from the fridge reheats unevenly and dries out the breast meat.

Variations

• Swap half the apricots for dried prunes for a richer, honeyed sauce that leans more toward a tzimmes profile.
• Add a sliced shallot and a cinnamon stick to the roasting pan for a Moroccan-leaning version with warm spice.
• Use a dry rosé instead of white wine for a slightly fruitier, rounder sauce.