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Baked Lemon Chicken and Apple Cider Sauce with Pecans and Dried Cranberries

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Submitted by: Lesley Pew

 

This chicken, roasted with lots of garlic, is served with a creamy cranberry-pecan sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes on the side.
 

Ingredients

  • Chicken:
  • 1 3 1/2-pound whole chicken
  • 2 carrots, trimmed and peeled
  • 2 onions, trimmed, peeled, and quartered
  • 2 stalks celery, trimmed
  • 40 cloves garlic, about 2 heads (peeled and trimmed)
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 tablespoon Bell's seasoning or Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 cup apple cider or white wine
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup baking liquid
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
  • dash bottled hot pepper sauce

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Method

Chicken: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place chicken on rack in 13x9-inch baking pan. Place the carrots, onions, celery, and garlic in the bottom of the pan. Cut the zest off the lemons (try to cut it off as thinly as possible so you won't get much of the white pith) and place it in the cavity of the chicken. Rub the chicken all over with the Bell's seasoning. Pour the cider and chicken broth in the pan. Bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the skin is crisp, the legs move easily in their sockets, and the juices run clear. Sauce: Strain the baking liquid into a medium bowl and measure 1 cup liquid. Reserve. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the pecans and dried cranberries and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until the mixture smells nutty, being careful not to let the mixture burn. Add the reserved 1 cup baking liquid, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Slowly add the cream and allow mixture to thicken, continuing to whisk. Season with salt, white pepper, black pepper, and a dash of hot sauce.

 

Notes: Presentation: Cut the wings and legs from the chicken and place on a serving platter. Carve the breast meat into slices and place on the platter; add vegetables, if you like. Pour some of the sauce over the chicken and serve with a plate of cornbread, garlic mashed potatoes and a salad with a good garlicky dressing.

 

Number of Servings: 4

 

Submitted by: Lesley Pew ()

 

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