The BiG Story

You'll Go
Nuts For...

Biblical
Chicken

The Littmanns love this recipe
they got via their daughter-n-law.

"Vegetarian" and "Appetizers,"
hese days, chicken isn't
'among
others.
popular simply for health
reasons; it's also a great
,
BIBLICAL CHICKEN
I buy. But economist David Littmann
WITH HONEY,
I doesn't advise his wife, Esther, to
NUTS AND RAISINS
make this chicken dish because
6
boned chicken breasts, skinned (or
lit's a sound financial investment.
chicken tenderloins, two for each person)
I The Bloomfield Township couple
2-3 T. flour
simply love it.
1 to 1-1/2 t. salt
Esther Littmann is a docent at the
10-15 grinds of black pepper
Holocaust Memorial Center in
1/4 c. margarine
I West Bloomfield. She and her hus-
1 T. olive oil
I band often enjoy a Friday-night
3/4
c. slivered almonds
dinner of Biblical Chicken with
For the sauce:
'Honey, Nuts and Raisins, which
1-1/4 c. dry, white wine
they discovered thanks to their
2/3 c. chicken stock
idaughter-in-law, Jessica.
2/3 c. orange juice
Jessica Littmann, a native of
2 t. grated lemon rind
!Chicago, describes herself as "an
1 T. honey
;avid amateur cook who enjoys
3
T. raisins (preferably muscat)
bringing people together to share
3-inch cinnamon stick
;;Jewish food and tradition." She
2 t. cornstarch, mixed with...
has her own Web site,
1 T. water or chicken stock
http://jewishfood.about.com
,
where
.
you can find many recipes for
Take each chicken breast in turn
delicious Jewish food. The cate-
and flatten gently between the
I gorier are "Kashrut on the Go,"

Esther and David Littmann give Biblical Chicken a thumbs-up.

hands, then coat with the sea-
soned flour.
In a large sauté pan, heat the
margarine and oil until the foam
subsides, then immediately add
the almond slivers and cook gen-
tly until golden brown. Drain on a
paper towel.
Add the chicken breasts to the
hot fat — probably in two batch-
es — and cook on each side for
about three minutes, or until the
chicken turns a golden color.
Remove from the pan and pour
away any excess fat, without dis-
carding the savory brown bits at
the bottom. Now add the wine to
the pan, stirring well, and bubble
for three minutes to intensify the
flavor. Then add the stock,
orange juice, lemon rind, honey,
raisins and cinnamon stick.
Bring the sauce to a boil, add
the chicken breasts in a single
layer, spoon the liquid over them,
then cover the pan and remove
from heat.

Just before serving, bring the
sauce slowly back to simmer, add
cornstarch mixture and bubble for
three more minutes. Nick a breast
I to make sure that there's no pink
inside; if there is, let the chicken
bubble a bit more in the pan.
Lift out the chicken breasts and
arrange them on a warm plate.
'Add salt and pepper if necessary,
then spoon sauce over the chick-
' en and decorate the dish with
toasted almonds. Serve accompa-
nied by plain steamed Basmati
rice or new potatoes.
Note: If the pan won't hold all
the chicken breasts in a single
layer, arrange them side by side
lin a roasting pan, pour the hot
sauce over them and leave cov-
ered with foil. To reheat, cook
!covered at 350 degrees for 25
minutes or until bubbly.
Another note: If the chicken
tastes too lemony, add a bit of
pareve creamer. ❑