Last time my friend Marieke visited me she brought with her some exotic ingredients to experiment with. We've been friends for a long time and share many of the same passions. A perfect day for me is hanging out in my kitchen with her while working on a meal, chatting away about our lives. The meal always tastes better somehow, perhaps because of the ingredients, but most likely because of the company.
This chicken recipe is my idea of what to do with a wonderful ingredient she brought that day: fig granules, tiny dried up pieces of figs:
I decided to make a marinade for some organic, free-range chicken. The result was wonderful, fragrant and delicious. The marinade not only flavors the meat beautifully but keeps it moist as well. Fig granules are a great addition to any pantry. You can put them in your salad with some walnuts, over some nice creamy cheese, or simply on top of ice cream.
Fig Chicken with Rosemary and Thyme (serves 4-6)
2.5 lbs chicken parts, bones in, skin removed (optional)
In a bowl mix together:
1 tablespoon of minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
Juice of one lemon + zest
1 tablespoon of agave nectar
3 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoon of fig granules
-Add the chicken pieces to the marinade in the bowl, rub it all over the meat, and refrigerate for an hour (no more or else the lemon will start cooking the chicken).
-Preheat oven to 400F.
-Cook loosely covered with foil in the oven at 400F for 30 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Here's a link to USDA website on poultry temperatures for doneness:
Is It Done Yet?
If you have trouble finding fig granules in your area, you can find them online by following the "fig granule" link above.
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7 comments:
I've never heard of fig granules. What a wonderful thing! I especially love the idea of sprinkling them over cheese.
The chicken looks delish.
Alexa,
This looks really delicious. Thyme, figs and chicken are three of my favorite things, I have never thought about combining them like this.
I notice you use Agave nectar in your recipes and I am unfamiliar with this. Perhaps you can share more about this ingredient (assuming it is the same plant for Tequila).
Great post...
--Marc
Fig granules? Super cool :)
The dish looks really perfect!
Annie,
I'm hooked on the stuff... thinking of ordering a case actually. Would that be hoarding?
Marc,
I will be posting about agave nectar very soon... Interesting stuff. Thanks for the suggestion.
Tartelette,
I would love to see how you would use this in your wonderful desserts... :-)
Thanks for you comments. I always appreciate them.
Gig granules sound really interesting and I like the use of figs in a savoury dish.
I'm so glad you figured out what to do with the fig granules, because I certainly was not sure what to do with them!
What I loved which I got at the same time was the fennel pollen, roast chicken with fennel pollen is really good too.
Got it at the same place as the fig granules.
I didn't have fig granules and didn't want ti order them online, but had fig butter. I used it, fantastic alternative. I tend to just go online and say "what am I making tonight?"
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