Citrusy Roast Chicken With Pears and Figs

Citrusy Roast Chicken With Pears and Figs
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1½ hours, plus marinating
Rating
4(813)
Comments
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This juicy, citrus-scented chicken is a perfect dish for that shoulder season between summer and fall, when pears and figs overlap in the market, and evenings cool down enough to turn on the oven. As the chicken roasts, its skin crisps and its fat renders, flavoring the caramelizing fruit in the pan. Before it’s served, everything is topped with a garlicky orange relish flecked with parsley and drizzled with sherry vinegar. It’s a sweet and savory meal that’s simple enough for a weeknight (if you can marinate the chicken the night before), yet festive enough for guests.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 3garlic cloves
  • 1large orange
  • 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 2 whole sprigs
  • 2teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1(3½- to 4-pound) whole chicken, patted dry
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • 8seckel pears, halved and cored (or use 4 small ripe Bartlett, Anjou or other pears, quartered)
  • 8ounces ripe fresh figs (4 to 6 figs), halved lengthwise
  • Sherry vinegar, for serving
  • Flaky sea salt, for serving
  • ½cup parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

999 calories; 57 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 71 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 46 grams sugars; 56 grams protein; 1423 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Peel 2 of the garlic cloves, and finely grate or mash to a paste. Grate 1 teaspoon zest from the orange (reserve zested orange and remaining garlic clove for serving).

  2. Step 2

    In a small bowl, combine garlic and zest with 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary, salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Place chicken on a 13-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet, and rub rosemary mixture all over chicken including underneath the skin and inside the cavity. Chill uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

  4. Step 4

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. Stuff chicken with rosemary sprigs. Drizzle chicken lightly with oil, and roast for 30 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Remove baking sheet from oven and carefully arrange pears and figs, cut-side down, on the hot pan. Continue to roast until chicken is cooked through, another 15 to 25 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Roast pears and figs another 5 to 10 minutes, if necessary, until they are caramelized and tender.

  7. Step 7

    Cut the white pith off the orange, then cut out orange segments into bite-size pieces. Finely grate or mash the remaining garlic clove.

  8. Step 8

    To serve, transfer figs, pears and chicken to a platter. In the pan with chicken juices, toss orange segments, remaining garlic clove, and a drizzle of sherry vinegar; taste and season with flaky sea salt, if needed. Spoon oranges and pan juices over chicken and fruit on platter, and top with chopped parsley and more flaky sea salt.

Ratings

4 out of 5
813 user ratings
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Comments

Any chance I could make this using a cut up chicken vs. whole chicken fo ease of serving for a large Rosh Hashana crowd?

Personally I would, to 375. I find 450 to be too much for roast chicken in general and would think the fruit would dissolve. I’ve done many roast chickens over many years and the sweet spot is 375 for 75 minutes.

Made this last night for four. Used red pears, and small, Italian plums instead of figs, as had been suggested. Only chilled for 2 hours due to (my) poor planning. Served over 7 grain mix. Sublime! It's a keeper.

My son’s “best chicken dish I have ever had.” Only change I made was red grapes for figs, as no one likes figs.

450 is way too hot, unless you like blackened zest. The garlic paste idea also doesn’t work- there’s just not enough volume to cover a whole chicken.And the fruit came out tasteless. Won’t do again unless I tweak everything that’s suggested.

Made this tonight--very delicious. I stuffed the chicken with the rosemary and also half an orange and it really infused the chicken meat. I cooked at 450 for 30 minutes and then 350 for another hour. Added the fruit about 45 minutes in. We loved it--the different flavors of the pears, the figs from our own tree.

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