Chicken with Plums RECIPE!

Are you a huge Marjane Satrapi fan like I am? Curious about what CHICKEN AND PLUMS really are?? Well, I finally found the actual recipe for CHICKEN AND PLUMS, the title of Marjane's most recent publication (Chicken with Plums was just released last April as a trade paperback with a stunning new jacket and you can order your copy here).

Anyway, the recipe is in a middle eastern Knopf cookbook called Arabesque by Claudia Roden:

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken pieces, breasts or thighs
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1-3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
salt and paper
9 dark red plums

For the Sauce
4 tablespoons plum jam
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
pinch of chili pepper flakes or gorund chili pepper

In a large skillet, saute the chicken pieces with the garlic in a mixture of butter and oil, over low heat. Cook them for about 10-15 minutes, or until they are no longer pink inside when you cut in with a pointed knife. Season with salt and pepper, and turn the pieces over at least once.

Just before serving, cut the plums in half and ease out the pits. Lift out the chicken pieces and put them to the side while you saute the plums. Cook the plums for 7-10 minutes, turning them over once, until they soften. Return the chicken pices to the pan and heat through.

For the sauce, heat the plum jam with the vinegar in a small saucepan, stir in the garlic and chili flakes or ground chili pepper and cook a few moments longer.

Serve the chicken pieces with the sauce poured over and garnish with the plums.

Serves six

Enjoy! And be sure to pick up your copy of ARABESQUE and CHICKEN WITH PLUMS!