Passover Chicken

Photo: flickr user I See Modern Britain

Ingredients

3 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate or mixture of orange & pineapple concentrates

1/2 teaspoon each crushed cloves & paprika

1 (4 lb) broiler chicken, skinned and cut into serving pcs.

2/3 cup matzo meal mix

2 1/2 tablespoons italian olive oil

2 mediums onions, coarsely chopped

5 large cloves garlic, minced

2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, pared, coared and chopped

3 tablespoons parsley, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

fresh sliced pineapple

Preparation

Put 2 tbs. honey in 8 oz. measure. While stirring, add concentrate, cloves and paprika. Fill with water to 8 oz. mark and stir. Pour into a wide bowl.

Rinse and dry chicken. Prick all over with sharp-pronged fork. Add to bowl, turning several times to coat. Let stand at room temp. for 30 min.

Drain chick. reserving marinade. Arrange pcs. on lge. flat plate.

Sprinkle with 1/4 c. Matzo Meal Mix, pressing to adhere. Turn. Repeat on other side till all is evenly coated. Chill in freezer for 10 min.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Heat 1 tb. oil in lge. well seasoned iron skillet. In bowl, combine onions, garlic, celery and apples. Strew 1/4 c. across hot oiled skillet. Cook for 30 seconds over med-hi heat. Add half the chicken and lightly brown on both sides ( 5 min.), scooping up and turning with sharp edged spatula. Transfer chic. and browned particles to plate. Add another tablespoon of oil. Repeat untill all is browned.

Saute remaining veg.-apple mix. till lightly browned, scraping bottom of skillet to loosen particles. Add marinade around edges of skillet. Add 2 tb. parsley and bring to a boil, stirring to combine.

Return chick. to pan, spooning with thick sauce. Cover and simmer on top of stove for 3 min. Baste. Place in center of oven for 50 min., spooning with sauce once, midway.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle salt evenly over all. In cup, blend remaining tb. of honey with lemon juice and mustard. Pour over chicken.

Re-cover and let stand for 5 min.

Drain chick. of sauce and arrange pcs. on lge. warmed serving plate.

Stir sauce and reheat briefly. Spoon some of it over the chick. Cut each pineapple slice into thirds and arrange around sides of plate in neat pattern. Serve immediately, sprinkled with remaining parsley; serve extra sauce on side.