Harissa Spiced Honey Roasted Chicken Thighs with Persimmons and Lemons

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This spicy harissa and persimmon chicken is a little sweet, a little spicy, and packed with flavor! It’s the perfect one-skillet winter meal!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-4 teaspoons harissa dry seasoning or paste, to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Chicken:
4 to 5 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup white wine
1 large shallot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 to 4 fuyu persimmons, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary,finely minced
1/4 cup water

 

DIrections:
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in a shallow dish or Ziploc bag, cover with the marinade and toss to coat. Let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature. For best results, allow the chicken marinate in the fridge overnight, just be sure to let it come to room temperature for an hour before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.Shake off excess marinade before searing the chickenm but do not wipe it all off as that’s what gives you the flavorful crust Sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side or until there is a golden brown crust. Remove from the skillet and place ona clean plate and set aside.

Pour in the wine to deglaze the skillet, then add in the thyme, rosemary, garlic shallots, persimmons and lemons. Add the water. Return the chicken back to the skillet and place the skillet in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 160°F and the skin is crisped.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

Cook’s Notes:

Yogurt:
You can substitute the Greek yogust with plain full fat yogurt.

Chicken:
Chicken Breasts can be used in place of the chicken thighs, if desired.


Persimmons:
There are two main types of persimmons that you’re likely to see at the grocery store between October and Januray, hachiya and fuyu.

Hachiya persimmons are elongated and shaped like a heart or acorn, they are very astringent, like quince, before they are ripe You don’t want to eat them unless they are extremely soft to the touch (almost soupy on the inside).

Fuyu persimmons are shaped like a tomato like the ones above in the photo, and have a delicately sweet flavor similar to peaches. They can be eaten when they are still very firm and are still delicious when they soften.For this recipe, you would want them on the firmer side.

Note that persimmons that are very firm will last at home for about two weeks if stored in the crisper draw in the fridge.

Honey Lemon Roasted Chicken

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Cranking up the oven toward the end helps to glaze the roast chicken in this 5-ingredient recipe that feeds a crowd, especially for family dinners.

Serve 6 to 8

Ingredients:

2 lemons
⅓ cup orange blossom honey
Two 4 -5 pounds whole chickens
One ¾  ounce package of fresh rosemary
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Assortment of sliced citrus for garnishes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place a wire rack on a large, foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Into a small bowl, zest both the lemons. Halve lemons and squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice into bowl (do not discard lemons). Stir in the honey and set aside.

With kitchen shears, trim any excess fat from the chickens. Season insides of chickens with salt and pepper. Divide lemon halves and rosemary between each chicken cavity. For each bird, tie legs together and tuck wings behind. Rub the oil all over outside of chickens. Generously season outsides of chickens with salt.

Roast 1 hour, brushing with honey mixture every 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Roast chickens another 15 minutes, until a thermometer inserted between the thigh and drumstick reaches 165°F and skin is golden brown.

Remove chickens from oven and let rest at least 15 minutes. before carving.

To serve, place on  serving platters and garnish with assorted slices of citrus fruit and rosemary sprigs.

 

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Rosemary Grapefruit Spritzers

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Photo Credit:Laura Bolton, Fork Knife Swoon,  2018.

 

Tart and fizzy honey rosemary grapefruit sodas combine a sweet and herbaceous rosemary simple syrup with fresh grapefruit juice and pure honey for a flavorful, naturally-sweetened homemade spritzer you will want to sip on all Winter long and well into the Summer months.

Recipe Adapted from
Laura Bolton
Fork Knife Swoon
August 2018

Ingredients:
For simple syrup (makes about 1-1/2 cups):
1 cup water
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice

Directions:
To make the simple syrup:
Heat the water, sugar, honey, and grapefruit juice in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Add the grapefruit zest and rosemary, and let gently simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and steep for up to an hour.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass jar, and chill before serving. Can be made in advance, and stored in the refrigerator for about a week.

To serve, fill a highball glass with ice. Add the rosemary simple syrup and fresh grapefruit juice. Stir to combine. Top with soda/sparkling water.

Garnish with grapefruit slices and/or a sprig of rosemary. Serve and enjoy!

Bartender Notes:
The rosemary grapefruit syrup can be made in advance and keeps for about a week, which is ideal for doling out single servings, but can also be easily multiplied if feeding a crowd.

To make it alcoholic:
Add 1 shot of gin before topping with soda.

To make a rosemary Paloma Cocktail:
Add 1 shot of tequila and a big squeeze of lime to the rosemary simple and grapefruit juice.

To make it vegan:
Swap pure maple syrup or organic cane sugar for the honey.