Chicken with Dates and Saffron for Rosh Hashanah
There are a few symbolic foods that we eat for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), to bring in a sweet New Year. Usually, it’s apples and honey but also sweet dates. This recipe for braised chicken with dates, wine and saffron is a gorgeous main course to celebrate the occasion.
Seared chicken is simmered in the most succulent reduction of red wine, date molasses, saffron and dates, bridging a slightly sweet and savory main course.
Chicken with Dates
For the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people celebrate by eating foods that are sweet to bring in a sweet new Year. Often, you’ll see recipes apple recipes such as this cardamom apple cake or sweet round challahs, recipes with honey and pomegranate and elaborate main courses that bring all of those flavors together.
For this main course, browned chicken thighs simmer in a sauce made of red wine, chicken stock, date syrup and spices. The combination of date syrup with the savory flavors of onions, garlic and spices is layered and flavorful with a bit of savory sweetness.
Method:
1) Pat chicken dry and season well with salt and pepper and dredge in cornstarch. In a large dutch oven or pot, drizzle with oil and bring heat to medium-high and brown chicken on each side. Reserve chicken to plate once done.
2) Add carrots and onions and saute in same oil until onions caramelize, cover. Add garlic, turmeric, cumin, red pepper and saffron and cook for another 2 minutes.
3) Pour in red wine and use a spatula to scrape any bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and reduce slightly. Add chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of date syrup and bring to a boil and reduce to a constant simmer. Add chicken back into the sauce, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 25-30 minutes.
4) Add dates and continue cooking for a few more minutes to dates soften. The sauce should have reduced down but still be pourable. If the sauce is too thin, remove chicken and continue reducing sauce. Once done, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve chicken with sauce, dates and vegetables.
Side Dishes to Serve Alongside
- Persian Rice with Dates and Pistachios
- Persian Jeweled Rice
- Pomegranate Roasted Vegetables with Tahini
- Roasted Pears and Carrots with Pomegranate
Here is another wonderful chicken recipe:
Chicken with Dates, Red Wine and Saffron
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 655kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil such as grapeseed oil
- 2 pound bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 yellow or white onion sliced thin
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- Pinch of saffron
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups chicken stock low sodium, preferred
- 2 tablespoons date molasses
- 1/2 cup dried dates cut in half
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry and season well with salt and pepper and dredge in cornstarch.
- In a large dutch oven or pot, drizzle with oil and bring up to medium-high heat and brown chicken on each side, about 4-5 minutes per side. Reserve chicken to plate. It will be undercooked in the center, and that's ok.
- In the same pot, add carrots and onions and saute until onions begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, turmeric, cumin, red pepper and saffron and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring everything together.
- Pour in red wine and use a spatula to scrape any bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and reduce slightly. Add chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of date syrup and bring to a boil and reduce to a constant simmer. Add chicken back into the sauce, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 25-30 minutes.
- Add dates and continue cooking for a few more minutes to dates soften. The sauce should have reduced down but still be pourable. If the sauce is too thin, remove chicken and continue reducing sauce.
- Once done, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve chicken with sauce, dates and vegetables.
Notes
If you don’t have date molasses, pomegranate molasses is a good substitute or you can omit it altogether.
The original photos show the recipe with thighs and drumsticks, use whatever cut you can find, though bone in will keep the meat tender.
Nutrition
Calories: 655kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 937mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 7881IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg
This recipe was originally published in September, 2012 and updated in August, 2021 with final photos and retested recipe.
My husband is a date fiend. He would LOVE this!
This looks soooo good! Thanks for participating!!
This might be just the use for the dried dates I have in my pantry!! Yum!!! PS: Can you update the links? Mine is wrong..thanks sista!!
Awwwww…. Great story! And great recipe! Us Foodies use Elul as a time to study, reflect, and find Rosh Hashanah recipes! So happy you shared and created this beauty!
This sounds so deliciously simple, it’s a definite contender for Rosh Hashana lunch! Thank you for the suggestion, I’m loving this blog party.
What an awesome story! Congrats to both of you…I love one pot meals and this chicken looks mighty tasty!
Great idea! I love dates.
This looks fantastic! I love the use of dates in this recipe!
Such a sweet story and a great sweet recipe to start the new year!
That looks so delicious!
What a great recipe. Love the step by step photos.
thanks for this post!
Mahalo Gail! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your engagement story, what a beautiful setting to mark the start of your lives together!
This dish looks fabulous! We are a mixed family, a little of everything, and we try to celebrate all sides of our family with food. It is the one thing that unites EVERYONE!!
Cheers!
Eileen
I am definitely going to try this recipe. I am always looking for new chicken recipes! Thanks.
What a decadent dish! We thoroughly enjoyed eating this on an uneventful Wednesday night. The sauce is a delight once it reduces down! We had it with your Persian rice with dates, pistachios and cardamom.
What a combo!! Thank you so so much! I ate that chicken dish 3x in one week haha