Certain foods just seem to be ingrained in what we thing about certain cities, countries or regions. The South is known for its barbecue (which is different state to state), Italy is known for its pasta, Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteaks… you get the idea. I was recently sent a cookbook that plays off of this idea of a region’s traditional foods: The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen by Jim Bailey. The cookbook is filled with traditional New England fare, from pot roasts to chowder, but also gives a “Yankee” spin to other foods, such as Lobster Fried Rice.
Jim, the Yankee Chef himself (or, more appropriately, third generation Yankee Chef) fills the pages of the cookbook with background stories, tips, and a bit of humor, which had me reading the cookbook page by page. Not to mention, the photos are breathtaking! I wish my photos looked like the ones found on these pages.
I wanted to test out one of his recipes so I went for the Plum Sweet and Spicy Chicken because I don’t think I’ve ever made anything like it, and it sounds fantastic! I altered the recipe so that I didn’t have to cook a whole chicken and added some fresh seared plums to top it off. I also made a quick homemade chutney that I thought would highlight the plums in the dish.
Ingredients:
Chutney:
- 2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, divided
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 strip of orange peel
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 tablespoon golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 each lemon and orange, sliced
- the juice of the other 1/2 of the lemon and the orange
- salt and pepper, to taste
Chicken:
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 chicken breast and 1 leg (multiply as needed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup plum preserves
- 1/4 cup cranberry-citrus chutney (recipe below)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 plum, sliced
To make the chicken, combine the white pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a small dish.
Sprinkle over the chicken pieces.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While waiting for the oven to preheat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large oven safe pan. Add the chicken and cook until browned on each side, about 3-5 minutes per side.
Combine the soy sauce and the honey and brush on the chicken.
Add to the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
Combine the plum preserves, chutney, sugar, and cider vinegar. Remove the chicken from the oven after 30 minutes and spread the plum mixture on the chicken.
Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees and cook the chicken in the oven for another 15 minutes or until the center of the chicken pieces register at 165 degrees.
When ready to serve, take the plum slices and add them to a saute pan over medium high heat. Cook until they sear slightly.
Serve the chicken with the rest of the chutney and the seared plums.
The flavor combination on this is really surprising and delicious! I was expecting a bit more spicy so next time I might increase the amount of spices but the sweetness with the chicken was really tasty. The chutney isn’t overly sweet so the citrus is a nice complement to the plums. The chicken was so tender too!
I really messed with this recipe; the original uses a whole chicken and the cooking method is different. So be sure to check out the version in the book to see if that one sounds even better to you. Next on my list from this cookbook: the lobster fried rice and the pot roast!
- Chutney:
- 2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, divided
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 strip of orange peel
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 tablespoon golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 each lemon and orange, sliced
- the juice of the other 1/2 of the lemon and the orange
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Chicken:
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 chicken breast and 1 leg (multiply as needed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup plum preserves
- 1/4 cup cranberry-citrus chutney (recipe below)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 plum, sliced
- To make the chutney, add 1/3 cup of the cranberries to a saute pan and reserve the other 1/3 cup in a small bowl. Add the sugar, 1 strip of orange, red wine, cinnamon stick, crystallized ginger, orange and lemon slices, orange and lemon juice, golden raisins, and water to the pan. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes over low heat.
- Increase the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst, about 12 minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and orange rind. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the reserved cranberries. Season with salt and pepper.
- To make the chicken, combine the white pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a small dish.
- Sprinkle over the chicken pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While waiting for the oven to preheat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large oven safe pan. Add the chicken and cook until browned on each side, about 3-5 minutes per side.
- Combine the soy sauce and the honey and brush on the chicken.
- Add to the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
- Combine the plum preserves, chutney, sugar, and cider vinegar. Remove the chicken from the oven after 30 minutes and spread the plum mixture on the chicken.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees and cook the chicken in the oven for another 15 minutes or until the center of the chicken pieces register at 165 degrees.
- When ready to serve, take the plum slices and add them to a saute pan over medium high heat. Cook until they sear slightly.
- Serve the chicken with the rest of the chutney and the seared plums.
