Chicken Poached in Pyracantha Jelly (Syrup)

My attempt at pyracantha jelly (click here to see the post) ended up with syrup but that didn't bother me one bit.  Now it is time to put that syrup to work with a follow-up recipe from the same book, The Edible Ornamental Garden by John E. Bryan and Coralie Castle.

ISBN 912238-46-1

They suggest that the pyracantha flavor compliments baked sweet potatoes, cold lamb, hamburgers, hot dogs, and poultry dishes.  You know, I have some sweet potatoes growing in my garden that would be a great test for this!  Anyway, they offer a recipe on page 137 that I decided to try.

Chicken Poached in Pyracantha Jelly

Sauté in:

2 tablespoons butter and/or rendered chicken fat

1/2 cup minced onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Season with:

salt

freshly ground white pepper

paprika

4 large chicken legs and thighs

Place in sauté pan with:

1/4 cup rich chicken stock

Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Add:

1/2 cup pyracantha jelly

Cover and cook, stirring to distribute the jelly and adding more stock if needed, until the chicken is almost tender.  Then add:

1 green pepper, cut in chunks

1 large onion, cut in eighths

Cover and continue cooking until vegetables are tender but still crisp.  Serve over white or brown rice, bulghur wheat or barley.

Serves 4.

Somehow I lost the picture of my ingredients, so here is my pyracantha bush.

My Notes

I used olive oil instead of butter, chicken thighs only (5 fit comfortably in the pan), and pineapple chunks because I really don't like green peppers.

I also used chicken broth from a box and ground long pepper instead of white pepper.  If you don't know long pepper, it is a lot like black pepper but with a bit of an afterburn.

My sauté was over medium low heat -- the minced onions and garlic cooked until the onions were nearly translucent.  

Before cooking

Ready for spices and chicken.

I used 1/4 teaspoon each long pepper, paprika, and salt.  They went into the onion/garlic mixture and were stirred in well before the chicken was placed on top.  Then I added the broth, covered the pan, and set the timer for 10 minutes.

Thighs on the onions and garlic, before the broth was added.

Next I took the meat out, added the syrup to the cooking broth and stirred it in.  The thighs went back into the liquid.  I put them in skin-side down to coat that surface, then turned them to skin-side up for cooking.  They simmered covered for 15 minutes.

The dark is the syrup!

Both sides coated.

Next the onion chunks and pineapple chunks went on top.  I pushed them down into the liquid as much as I could.  The cover went back on and they simmered for another 20 minutes.

Onions and pineapple added.

The Verdict

It wasn't really a meal time when this dish was ready, so my guest taster and I shared a thigh.  

Cooked!

The meat was thoroughly cooked, tender, moist, and flavorful.  The pineapple chunks were lovely with more depth of flavor than just pineapple.  The onion wasn't cooked enough for our preference -- it was crisp but not as tender as we liked, although I have to say the onion flavor was muted, so I know it wasn't raw.  

The sauce was wonderful!  Sweet but with an umami background.  The spices were just right:  there and adding a kick but not overwhelming.  My only criticism was that it was too thin for what my mouth wanted.

We gave it a rating of "success" as it was (except the onion), but then I modified it.

The meat came out of the sauce, then I simmered the sauce until the onions were cooked just right.  The onions and pineapple were removed and placed over the top of the chicken.  Then I simmered the sauce by itself to reduce it -- it turned into a thicker, darker brown sauce that smelled fruity and spicy and rich.  That was poured over the chicken.

Sauce reduced.

That was much, much better.  The onions were cooked but still a little crisp.  The sauce was more concentrated, with an onion flavor dominating but the spices and the sweet still present.  Very nicely balanced, although I think more paprika and pepper would have been acceptable.  The sauce's texture was not thick - I would probably have to add a thickener to get it so - but that didn't matter as the flavor was more intense.

The pineapple was a good choice as bell pepper substitute.  It went well with the sauce flavors and added a chewy, sweet, acid bite to the mix.

A second success!

Not everyone has access to pyracantha berries or their syrup/jelly.  What is commercially available is pomegranate molasses, which is sweet and tart and more strongly flavored than the pyracantha syrup.  I think it would be a good substitute.  Another fruit jelly, like currant or blackberry or raspberry might be good, too.  

This is an easy dish to make and tastes great.  Worthwhile serving to friends and family, and easily adapted to purchased products.

When I see the bright red berries on my pyracantha bush, I think about the first time I ever truly understood that there were different kind of birds, because I saw what I now know as a Cedar Waxwing eating the berries.  Then I realize that the berries mean that the Cedar Waxwings will arrive soon to my yard.  Sure enough, I heard their call today.  I haven't seen any yet but I know they are here.  I hope they enjoy the berries as much as I have.