Roast chicken with plums and pine nuts

I am one of those who thinks the important thing is to celebrate all the important moments around the table and, of course, with a good meal. At home we love to cook, as you can guess, and although we like traditions, we also like to vary the menus every year, whether it’s Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Three Kings,...

For now on Christmas Eve we had lamb cooked at low temperature and for New Year’s Eve my star dish is this one I bring you today, a traditional and very festive dish from Catalan cuisine, a dish there traditionally prepared for Christmas but ideal for any meal where you want to show off.

It’s a roast chicken, as they say there, a braised chicken with prunes and pine nuts that makes it irresistible to any palate. Are you up for trying it? Don’t miss the recipe.

Le Creuset shallow cocotte, Shallow Casserole type and Le Creuset spoon spatula

Ingredients (4 - 6 people)

• 1 free-range chicken cut into eight pieces
• 1 liter of chicken stock
• 1 chopped onion
• 6 peeled shallots
• 15 pitted dried prunes
• 75 g pine nuts
• 1 glass of brandy
• ½ head of garlic
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bouquet garni
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

1. To start, in a saucepan we heat the brandy together with the dried prunes. Once it reaches a boil we remove from the heat and let it rest covered.
2. We season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown it in our shallow casserole with the olive oil (this step will need to be done in batches so that all the chicken pieces brown well). Set aside.
3. If there's too much fat in the casserole, remove some and add the chopped onion, the shallots, the half head of garlic, the cinnamon stick, and the bouquet garni. Sauté for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
4. We strain the prunes, set them aside and add the brandy to the sauté we are making, it’s important at this step to raise the heat. We reduce the liquid and add the chicken pieces. We add the chicken stock to cover and cook covered over medium heat for about half an hour.
5. While the chicken cooks in a frying pan, we carefully toast the pine nuts. It’s important not to lose sight of them as they burn very easily - if you lose sight of them and start to smell popcorn they are burning. Once toasted we remove them from the pan and set aside.
6. After half an hour, remove the lid from the casserole, increase the heat, add the prunes, and cook for 10 more minutes, reducing the sauce.
7. Finally, after 10 minutes have passed we add the toasted pine nuts.
8. Serve hot. Oh, don’t forget to sauce the roast once served! The best part of these dishes is always the sauce!

Le Creuset shallow cocotte, Shallow Casserole type, Le Creuset spoon spatula and Pallarès carbon steel knife

These stews are ideal, tasty and liked by everyone. As with any good stew, in this case a roast, a good bread nearby to accompany it cannot be missing, but I’ll tell you that some vegetables and a nice mashed potato are always a fantastic accompaniment.

Happy holidays!