Plums are an unusual fruit. They’re sharply tart and extremely sweet, soft and fleshy, yet the skin is tough against a knife blade. The rest of the world makes more use of them than most Americans. My instagram freed has been full these past weeks of French friends making the most of the Rein Claude harvest and of clever stone fruit deserts.
But this blog is about chicken. So … I decided to marinate chicken in plums.
Well, plumbs, honey, and spices to be specific. This recipe is inspired by a dish from Central Asia that I’ve only read about, and even then not a recipe – whole chickens roasted with a plum marinade. Obviously, this isn’t that recipe – it’s me playing with those flavors I’ve read about. It’s an experiment. And one that came out pretty well – it’s a sort of fruity sweet and sour that works really well with the richness of the thigh meat.
While the instructions here call for roasting the chicken in a hot oven, this dish should do well on the grill as well. If you go that route, let me know how it comes out – or better yet share pictures and tag @TheChickenThighGuy on Facebook or Instagram!
Plum Marinated Roast Chicken
Course: MainDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes40
minutes2
minutesChicken thighs marinated in a simple plum and spice mixture.
Ingredients
4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
2 black plumbs
2 tbsp honey
4 cloves garlic
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
Approx. ½ cup water
Directions
- Peel, trim, and coarsely chop the garlic.
- Remove the pits from the plumbs and cut them into 2-3 inch pieces.
- Place the plumb pieces, honey, garlic, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and kosher salt in the container of a high-speed blender.
- Blend until smooth, adding water as needed to form a smooth puree.
- Place the chicken thighs in a zip top bag along with the spiced plumb puree.
- Allow the chicken to marinade in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Roast until the chicken is crispy and the internal temperature has reached 165°F – about 30-40 minutes.
- Serve with rice pilaf and/or flatbreads.