What better recipe for Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur! Easy to make. Can be made in advance and re-heated, if necessary, contains symbolic honey for a sweet new year and pomegranates which recall the decorations in the holy temple and whose numerous seeds remind us of the many good deeds we are to perform each day, AND it tastes great!
Easy Orange Pomegranate Chicken
8 chicken breasts and/or thighs, skin and bone on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup orange juice
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
2 pods of Dorot minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons coarsely grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Pomegranate arils for garnish, optional
- Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- Place chicken pieces skin side up in a 13 x 9 roasting pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Turn chicken in pan to coat thoroughly with sauce and return to skin side up in pan.
- Roast the chicken for 50 minutes or until skin is a rich golden brown and chicken is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Serve garnished with the pomegranate arils (seeds)
Serves: 4-6
Tina’s Tidbits:
- Pomegranate molasses is readily available in Middle Eastern markets and many national chain food stores. This sweet/tart syrupy liquid is just concentrated pomegranate juice, and it compliments many dishes.
- Dorot is an Israeli company that manufactures little red trays that contain minced garlic in 1 clove portions. I have mainly seen them in Trader Joe’s freezer but, I’m sure you can find them in other markets. For sauces with many ingredients, you can’t beat the time saver of this product. However, freshly minced garlic is always a welcomed addition to any recipe. NOTE: This is an unpaid endorsement to help my readers.
- I have given you a good amount of sauce which means you might be able to use a few more pieces. However, feel free to increase the quantities of the ingredients if you are feeding a crowd.
- There are many ways to remove the seeds of a pomegranate (just look at all the YouTube videos!). However, an easy way that will prevent your fingertips from matching your nail polish is to cut the fruit into sections and, in a large bowl of water, use your fingers, under water, to brush the seeds, or arils, out into the water. Seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl and any membrane or bad seeds will float to the top to be discarded. Drain the seeds into a colander and use for garnishing this dish or fruit salad or any dish when appropriate.