Roast Chicken with Pears

I recently discovered a two recipes on the internet called Roast Chicken and Pears. One had turnips and parsnips in the recipe and a nice honey glaze, the other had dried cranberries, turnips, parsnips and no glaze on top. So, what did I do? I combined the recipes and came up with a awesome meal. The first time I made it with the vegetable called for and decided that I didn't care for parsnips (a relative of the carrot) or turnips (think giant radish). The second go round was last night. I swapped the parsnips & turnip for a bag of Alexia Red Potatoes & Baby Bella mushrooms. I also think a few fingerling potatoes sliced in half along with a few carrots in-lieu of the parsnips and turnip would be good also. Oh and to top it off, I got a new Kuhn Rikon kitchen knife the other day. This is an awesome knife and my favorite color.It did an amazing job slicing my onion, pears and the excess fat off the chicken. The first time I made this I was a bit intimidated by the use of fresh pears in this dish. I like pears, you know the kind that come out of a can & topped with a dollop of mayo & sprinkled with cheddar cheese, but fresh ones were a bit out of my scope. However, there was this handy tip on the bottom of the original recipe for how to core the pear before slicing.

*Tip- Because pears are harvested well into fall, fresh ones should still be available in your local market. The popular Bosc pear will work well in this dish, but almost any pear you find in your market is fine. To tell if the pear is ripe, press the fruit gently with your thumb just below the stem; the flesh should yield slightly to pressure. To core the pears, cut them in half vertically, from stem to base. Use a spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the core with the seeds. Then, using a paring knife, make a v-shape notch to cut out the line of tough core fibers that runs from the stem to the base of the pear.

Roast Chicken with Pears

½ cup dried cranberries

1 red onion, peeled & cut into chunks

3 parsnips or carrots, peeled & cut into chunks

1 turnip or a few red potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks

4 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar or Balsamic vinegar

5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Honey

2 tsp. thyme

2 Tbsp. parsley

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

2 lbs of fresh chicken pieces, I like to use thighs in this dish

3 Large Cooking Pears, peeled, cored and cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl, soak the dried cranberries in 1 cup of hot tap water for about 10 minutes; then drain the cranberries. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine the drained cranberries, parsnips, turnip and red onion with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of the dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Shake bag to completely coat the vegetables and cranberries with the liquid ingredients and seasonings. Spread the mixture in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan and roast in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes until the fruit and vegetables are slightly softened.

Meanwhile, place the chicken pieces in the Ziploc bag and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Close the bag securely and mix ingredients by turning and shaking the bag to make sure the oil, vinegar and herbs are evenly distributed and coat the chicken pieces.

Place the chicken down the center of the dish or baking sheet and place the vegetables around it. Roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile place the honey in a small bowl and whisk the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into it. After 30 minutes remove the dish from the oven and brush the honey mixture over the chicken. Place the pears around the chicken and return to the oven for an additional 35 minutes of roasting or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 175ºF.

I hope that you try this simple yet, delicious dish. I enjoyed trying parsnips and turnips, but the good thing about many recipes is that they aren't set in stone and variations can be made and adjusted to your liking.