Chicken, Apricot and Cider with Miso

Miso is great with chicken and the flavours of the apricots take on a syrupy jamminess, mingling with the cider to create a sticky-sweet sensation. It is something a little different but, trust me, it is incredibly flavourful.

Note: All recipes use the British term for cider, scrumpy, and apple juice. Cider and scrumpy are alcoholic and the equivalent to the American ‘hard cider’; apple juice is non-alcoholic and equivalent to the American ‘cider.’ For the dry cider ingredient listed for this recipe, look for an alcoholic cider on the drier side (with less residual sweetness).

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs

• 1 onion, cut into wedges

• 4 large, ripe, fresh apricots, halved and pitted

• 2 tablespoons miso paste

• 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) dry cider

To serve

• 1 tablespoon pine nuts

• handful of parsley, roughly chopped

• your choice of vegetables and greens

Apple: Recipes From the Orchard by James Rich

Directions

Preheat a fan oven to 160ºC (320ºF/gas 4).

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large flameproof casserole dish (Dutch oven). Add the chicken and fry for 5–7 minutes on both sides until the skin is starting to crisp.

Add the onion and fry for a further 7 minutes until soft then add the apricot halves and fry for another 3 minutes until they start to soften too.

Stir in the miso paste and cook for 1 minute. Turn up the heat and pour in the cider. Bring to the boil for 1 minute, then take off the heat.

Transfer the casserole dish, uncovered, to the oven and cook for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

While the chicken is in the oven, toast the pine nuts in a dry non-stick frying pan (skillet) for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until lightly browned.

Remove the chicken from the oven, garnish with the chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts and serve with your favourite veg and greens.