Recipe Talk

Back in the late 1960's my Mom found this recipe in Better Homes & Gardens or a similar magazine. Our family loved it for special occasions, as it takes all day to make. You bake it in a large roaster.

The only ingredients I can remember are:
a whole chicken
link sausage
potatoes
onions
bell pepper
prunes
capers
apple cider
hard apple jack
bay leaves

The taste is fabulous!!! Sort of a European type dish I think.

I really hope someone will know something about this recipe, as it is a very fond memory from my childhood. I would love to be able to pass it down to my family now.

Thanks!!!!

Prune and Olive Chicken

INGREDIENTS

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup pitted prunes, halved

8 small green olives

2 tablespoons capers, with liquid

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, skin removed and cut into pieces

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl combine the garlic, prunes, olives, capers, olive oil, vinegar, bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread mixture in the bottom of a 10x15 inch baking dish. Add the chicken pieces, stir and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove dish from refrigerator. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and pour white wine all around chicken.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, spooning juices over chicken several times as it is baking. Serve on a platter, pouring juices over the top, and garnish with fresh parsley.

CHICKEN MARBELLA

Chicken Marbella Sauted Chicken in a

Mediterranean-style sauce

with Capers, Prunes, and Olives

-------------------

4 chickens (2 1/2 lb.,

quartered)

1 head of garlic, peeled and

pureed

1/4 c. dried oregano

coarse salt

freshly ground pepper (to

taste)

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

1 c. pitted prunes

1/2 c. pitted Spanish green

olives

1/2 c. capers (with a little

juice)

6 bay leaves

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. white wine

1/4 c. Italian parsley or

fresh coriander, chopped

In a large bowl combine chicken, garlic, oregano,
pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes,
olives, capers and juice, bay leaves. Cover, let marinate,
refrigerated, overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange
chicken in a single layer in 1 or 2 large shallow dishes, and
spoon marinade over evenly. Sprinkle chicken with brown sugar
and pour wine around them. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting
with pan juices. Chicken is done when thighs, pricked, have
yellow juice. Serve with prunes, olives and capers on top of
chicken and a little pan juice. The rest of the juice use in a
sauceboat. Great at room temperature.

Adjust the seasoning to taste. When the chicken is cooked, the prunes are soft, and the stock is thick, serve hot with either couscous or boiled rice and veggies of your choice.

From: A Taste of Africa

** You could always add small or new potatoes..

My moma is 80 years young.
She said in thoes days we didnot have crockpots
and still used roasters and dutch ovens.
So everyone roasted the meats, for appearances,
they could not be lazy house wives back then.
Patty

(Scarpariello) Chicken - Spicy Italian-Style Chicken with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions?

Serves 4 to 6

This dish is fairly spicy. To manage the heat, adjust the amount of cherry peppers as desired. If you cannot find hot cherry peppers, pickled banana pepper rings can be substituted. If your skillet is not oven safe, add the cornstarch mixture to the skillet in step 3 (instead of step 5) along with the vinegar and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the sausage and transfer mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange the chicken over the mixture and bake as directed. To make this dish with chicken thighs, increase the cooking time in the oven to about 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken registers 175 degrees. Serve with a green salad and mashed potatoes, orzo, or soft polenta.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves, trimmed of excess fat and skin and cut crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces

Table salt and ground black pepper

1 medium onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 1/4 cups)

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

3-5 pickled hot cherry peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips (about 1/4 cup)

3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/3 cup white wine vinegar plus 2 additional tablespoons

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth plus 1 tablespoon

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, stirring to break sausage into 1/2-inch pieces, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer sausage to plate lined with paper towels. Remove skillet from heat; pour off fat into small bowl and reserve; wipe out skillet with paper towels.

2. Return skillet to medium-high heat and heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil until smoking. Pat chicken dry and liberally season with salt and pepper. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown on other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate. Remove skillet from heat and pour off fat into bowl with sausage fat; wipe out skillet with paper towels.

3. Return skillet to medium-high heat and heat 1 tablespoon reserved fat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cherry peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sugar, 1/3 cup vinegar, and 3/4 cup broth; bring mixture to boil, scraping up browned bits from pan bottom.

4. Add sausage and chicken (with any accumulated juices) to skillet, arranging chicken pieces in single layer, skin side up, on top of peppers and onion. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 18 to 22 minutes, removing smaller pieces sooner if necessary. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, thyme, and remaining tablespoon broth in small bowl.

5. Carefully remove skillet from oven (handle will be very hot) and transfer chicken, skin side up, to platter or individual serving plates. Place skillet over medium-high heat and stir in cornstarch mixture. Simmer sauce mixture until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, taste sauce and add up to 2 tablespoons vinegar. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce around chicken, being careful not to pour it directly over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND CIDER

1 roasting chicken, about 5 lbs.
2 tablespoons softened butter
Salt and pepper to taste
8 shallots, peeled
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup apple cider
10 ounces fresh mushrooms, cleaned
3 tart apples, peeled, cut in large chunks
1/3 cup chicken stock or white wine
1/4 cup whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and dry chicken. Rub skin with softened butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chicken, breast-side down, on rack in roasting pan. Add shallots and garlic.

Roast 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees; roast 45 minutes, basting occasionally with cider. Turn chicken breast-side up. Add mushrooms and apple chunks to pan. Continue to roast until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 165-180 degrees. Baste occasionally with pan fluids until 20 minutes before you expect chicken to be done. Remove chicken to carving board; let rest 15 minutes before carving. Reduce the oven heat to 140 degrees. Remove the vegetables and apples with a slotted spoon, and keep them warm in the oven. Add the chicken stock to the roasting pan, stir, and bring the liquid to a boil. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes or until sauce has reduced to the consistency of heavy cream. Add the cream, stir, and keep warm over low heat. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper. Carve the chicken, and place pieces on a serving dish surrounded by vegetables and apples. Pour the sauce over vegetables, and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Apples in a Cider Vinegar and Prune Sauce

INGREDIENTS

3 apples - peeled, cored and chopped

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons white sugar

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 cup bread crumbs

3/4 cup chicken stock

4 boneless, skinless breast halves

8 bacon strips

1 cup onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 (16 ounce) can pitted prunes, chopped

3/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
Place the apples into a small saucepan with the water, thyme, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the apples have softened and cooked down to a chunky applesauce, about 15 minutes. Remove the applesauce from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Prepare the pheasant breasts to be stuffed by cutting a pocket horizontally into each breast. Spoon the apple and bread crumb stuffing into each breast. Wrap each breast with two strips of bacon and place them into a baking dish with the chopped onion. Pour the chicken stock over the pheasant breasts and season with salt and pepper.
Roast the pheasant breasts in the preheated oven until well done and the juices from the meat run clear, 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove the breasts from the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Pour the juices from the baking dish into a small saucepan with the cider vinegar and prunes; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the cream and continue to boil until thickened.
Slice the breasts diagonally and fan out on the serving platter, spoon the prune sauce over the slices to serve.