Chinese Plum Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• Place the plums, sugar, apple cider vinegar, unseasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, ginger coins, chile and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the plums are soft, about 20 minutes.
• Allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a blender, filling halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender until smooth.
• Transfer the blended plum mixture back to the same pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and you can see the bottom of the pot when you run a rubber spatula across the bottom, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to a medium bowl or plate to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
• The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Steps:

• Grate the zest from the lemons and place in a small bowl. Set aside the zested lemons.
• Stir sumac, salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice into the lemon zest. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic. The mixture should feel like wet sand. Rub it all over the chickens, including inside the cavity.
• Divide thyme bunch in half and place in the chicken cavities. Place chickens on a roasting rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, and let marinate, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to roast, let chickens come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a large roasting pan, toss together plums, shallots, honey, oil, salt, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf and 2 tablespoons water. Spread out plum mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place chickens on the rack over the plums in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from reserved lemon and mix it with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle this over the chicken, then continue to roast until the birds are golden-skinned and cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes longer.
• Let chickens rest, covered lightly with foil, for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with the plums and more thyme for garnish.

Steps:

• Place chicken in an 11x7-inch baking dish.
• Combine onions and next 6 ingredients; stir well, and pour over chicken.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 50 minutes or until chicken is done, basting occasionally with plum sauce mixture.