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While I was visiting Chen Koren’s house for Shabbat preparations, she made a delicious chicken with deep-fried sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes. I’ve adapted the recipe here by adding three apple elements – apple cider, cider vinegar, and apples themselves – for a sweet-tangy autumn-friendly Shabbat delicacy. Many people think Jerusalem artichokes have some sort of connection to the holy city, but surprisingly they don’t. In fact, they’re not artichokes at all. They’re a member of the sunflower family, and in Italian for the word for “sunflower” is girasole, which someone at some point mistook for Jerusalem. Thus a culinary misunderstanding – albeit a delicious one – was born. Instead of frying the artichokes as Chen did, I microwave the earthy, nutty, mildly sweet chokes first so they cook at the same pace as the apples. The sauce reduces as the dish finishes in the oven, thickening to perfection – and ideal for mopping up with slices of challah.
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces, or fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise (or quartered if large)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 and 1/2 cups Manischewitz Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
3/4 cup Gefen Apple Juice or cider
3 tablespoons Tuscanini Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 and 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 3-and-1/2-pound chicken, skin on, cut into 8 pieces, patted dry
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions (3/4 pound), each cut into 12 wedges
3 tablespoons very thinly sliced fresh sage, plus more for garnish
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh hot chili pepper
2 small apples, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a microwave-safe bowl with a tight-fitting lid, place the Jerusalem artichokes and add one inch of water. Seal it tightly with the lid and microwave until the artichokes are cooked but still firm, seven minutes. Remove, uncover, and drain the artichokes.
In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of the broth to dissolve, then whisk in the rest of the broth with the apple juice, vinegar, honey, mustard, and one teaspoon of the salt.
Season the chicken on both sides with the remaining one teaspoon salt. In the largest heavy skillet you have (ideally 12 inches, but 10 will do too), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until the fat is rendered and the skin is golden and crisp, four to five minutes. Flip and cook until the underside is lightly golden, three to four minutes. Remove to a plate, leaving any rendered fat and juices in the pan. Add the onions and Jerusalem artichokes and cook, stirring, until the onions are lightly golden and the artichokes take on a little color, six to seven minutes. Add the sage, garlic, and chili and cook, stirring, one to two more minutes.
Whisk the reserved broth mixture to re-blend, add it to the skillet with the artichokes, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid thickens, five to eight minutes. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, and apples into the pan.
Carefully transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the apples and Jerusalem artichokes are softened, the chicken skin is crisped and deep golden, and the sauce has reduced by about half, 35 to 40 minutes.
Garnish with more sage, then divide the chicken and sauce among plates.
From SHABBAT by Adeena Sussman, published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright @ 2023 by Adeena Sussman. Purchase on Amazon.
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