Yet ANOTHER chicken recipe :-) The title translates into 'Sweet and Sour stuffed chicken'. This Iranian recipe is a wonderful meal served with rice, and will duly impress your guests.
Ingredients:
4 Rock Cornish game hens
2 TBS sesame oil
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup pitted and finely chopped prunes
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup crushed pistaccio nuts (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp hawaish
Procedure:
Clean and rinse the hens in cold water, then pat dry and rub with salt.
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet and brown onion and garlic. Add prunes, apple, apricots, raisins, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, cinnamon, saffron water, and sugar in a separate bowl. Mix well.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. or prepare your charcoal grill for smoking and grilling. Stuff the hens or chickens with the fruit mixture and truss the cavities shut. Place the stuffed birds in a greased ovenproof dish or roasting pan(*) and pour in the orange juice. Cover and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, basting with pan juices, until the meat separates easily from bone.
Serve from the ovenproof dish or arrange the birds on a serving platter. Serve with Saffron Steamed Plain Basmati or Jasmine Rice, bread, salad, fresh fruit, and fresh herbs for garnish.
Rock Cornish game hens are best used for individual servings, and they take less time to cook in the oven.
(*) If you have a rotisserie (a plus, but not necessary) and/or a charcoal smoker/grill, these small hens are absolutely delicious smoked and continuously turned on a rotisserie with a few( 3 or 4) water-soaked apple wood chunks on the charcoals just to provide a delicate hint of smoke. Baste with the orange juice.
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