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Festive Chicken

A chicken dish with a honey, orange and pineapple concentrate marinade, matzo meal coating, and apple and onion sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Festive Chicken

Oven375°F
Time50 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Marinate and coat

  1. Put 2 tbs. honey in an 8 oz. measure.

  2. While stirring, add the concentrate, cloves and paprika.

  3. Fill with water to the 8 oz. mark and stir.

  4. Pour into a wide bowl.

  5. Rinse and dry the chicken.

  6. Prick all over with a sharp-pronged fork.

  7. Add the chicken to the bowl, turning several times to coat.

  8. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then drain the chicken, reserving the marinade.

  9. Arrange the pieces on a flat plate.

  10. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup matzo meal mix, pressing to adhere.

  11. Repeat on the other side until all is evenly coated.

  12. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Brown the chicken and vegetables

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large well-seasoned iron skillet.

  2. In a bowl, combine onions, garlic, celery and apples.

  3. Strew 1/4 cup across the hot oiled skillet.

  4. Cook for 30 seconds over medium-high heat.

  5. Add half the chicken and lightly brown on both sides (5 min), scooping up and turning with a sharp-edged spatula.

  6. Transfer chicken and browned particles to a plate.

  7. Add another tablespoon of oil.

  8. Repeat until all is browned.

  9. Saute the remaining vegetable-apple mix until lightly browned, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen particles.

  10. Add marinade around the edges of the skillet.

  11. Add 2 tbsp parsley and bring to a boil, stirring to combine.

  12. Return the chicken to the pan, spooning with thick sauce.

  13. Cover and simmer on top of the stove for 3 min., then baste.

Bake and serve

  1. Place in the center of the oven for 50 minutes, spooning with sauce once, midway.

  2. Remove from oven.

  3. Sprinkle salt evenly over all.

  4. In a cup, blend the remaining tbsp of honey with lemon juice and mustard.

  5. Pour over chicken.

  6. Re-cover and let stand for 5 min., then drain the chicken of sauce and arrange the pieces on a warmed serving plate.

  7. Stir the sauce and reheat briefly.

  8. Spoon some of it over the chicken.

  9. Cut each pineapple slice into thirds and arrange around the sides of the plate in a neat pattern.

  10. Serve immediately, sprinkled with remaining parsley; serve extra sauce on the side.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

499Calories
5 gProtein
15 gFat
97 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Pineapple1 cup chunks (165g)82
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Cloves1 tsp ground (2g)7
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  3. Orange + clovetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,987 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Clove + appletop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,774 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  5. Clove + celerytop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,668 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken (in the method)
Forms the main protein; the marinade and coating flavor its surface as it browns.
Matzo meal mix
Forms a coating that crisps and browns on the chicken in the skillet.
Honey
Adds sweetness and helps the glaze brown in the oven.
Orange juice concentrate
Adds sweetness and acidity to the marinade and sauce.
Apples
Soften during cooking and add sweetness and body to the sauce.
Onions
Add savory flavor and body to the sauce as they cook down.

The step that matters

Browning the chicken in the skillet. Browning the coated pieces in hot oil builds color and a crisp surface through the Maillard reaction. Crowding the pan or using too little oil steams the chicken instead, leaving the coating pale and soft.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (honey, orange, clove, olive, onion, garlic, celery):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Lemonfits better
  3. Avocadofits better
  4. Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against honey, orange, clove, olive, onion, garlic, celery. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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