Seder Chicken with Prunes
A traditional, comforting Jewish holiday dish featuring tender chicken simmered with sweet prunes and warm spices.
Ingredients
- •4 whole chicken legs or 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- •2 tablespoons olive oil
- •2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- •3 cloves garlic, minced
- •1.5 cups pitted dried prunes (dried plums)
- •1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- •1/2 cup dry red wine or sweet Manischewitz wine
- •2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
- •1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- •1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- •1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- •1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- •1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
- 2
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
- 3
Add the chicken pieces skin-side down and sear until golden brown and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- 4
In the same pot with the remaining chicken fat, add the sliced onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and caramelized, about 15 minutes.
- 5
Add the minced garlic, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 6
Pour in the chicken broth and red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- 7
Return the seared chicken pieces and any accumulated juices back into the pot, nestling them among the onions.
- 8
Scatter the pitted prunes around and over the chicken, and drizzle the honey evenly across the top.
- 9
Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 40 minutes until the chicken is fork-tender and cooked through.
- 10
Remove the lid, stir in the fresh lemon juice, and simmer uncovered for an additional 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken into a rich glaze.
- 11
Transfer to a serving platter and spoon the glossy onions and plump prunes generously over the chicken.
💡 Chef tips
- This dish tastes even better when made a day in advance; store it covered in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop before serving.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, remove the chicken and prunes from the pot and simmer the remaining juices over medium-high heat until reduced to your liking.
- Serve this savory-sweet chicken over fluffy white rice, egg noodles, or traditional potato kugel to soak up the delicious sauce.
✅ How it should turn out
The finished dish features fall-apart tender chicken coated in a glossy, savory-sweet spiced sauce infused with melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions and plump, luscious prunes.