Citrusy Roast Chicken With Pears and Figs

Any chance I could make this using a cut up chicken vs. whole chicken fo ease of serving for a large Rosh Hashana crowd?

Personally I would, to 375. I find 450 to be too much for roast chicken in general and would think the fruit would dissolve. I’ve done many roast chickens over many years and the sweet spot is 375 for 75 minutes.

Made this last night for four. Used red pears, and small, Italian plums instead of figs, as had been suggested. Only chilled for 2 hours due to (my) poor planning. Served over 7 grain mix. Sublime! It's a keeper.

A great combination; roasted figs are wonderful. I might try it with quince instead of pears (roasting them longer), since they're in season. Also, I would vote to spatchcock the bird—I think it cooks more evenly. And don't forget, you can chop up the garlic and fresh rosemary with some salt and tuck it under the skin, which gets the flavors into the meat a bit better.

I made it with thighs and it worked just fine.

I made this last night and it was incredible. I did need to adjust the cooking temp for my oven- 450 was causing the whole house to fill with smoke and was over cooking the skin. I reduced to 425 for the first half hour and then 375 thereafter. It was perfect! Also, because I am an Italian cook, I substituted an aged balsamic vinegar for the sherry vinegar and then added just a bit of salt -1 tsp?- to the fruit mixture to create the right sweet/ savory balance. Fantastic!! Thanks Melissa!

A great combination; roasted figs are wonderful. I might try it with quince instead of pears (roasting them longer), since they're in season. Also, I would vote to spatchcock the bird—I think it cooks more evenly. And don't forget, you can chop up the garlic and fresh rosemary with some salt and tuck it under the skin, which gets the flavors into the meat a bit better. --Personally I would, to 375. I find 450 to be too much for roast chicken in general and would think the fruit would dissolve. I

Followed the recipe exactly and would definitely make again. The oven temp & time worked perfectly for me. Next time I'd make a little more of the rosemary/garlic/salt seasoning mixture - I didn't really have enough to season the thighs under the skin. Otherwise it's a great fall dinner. The oranges/garlic/vinegar at the end are a super flavorful touch.

Don't tell Melissa, who is the best, but I used canned pears. The fresh pears I bought just would not ripen. So I bought Del Monte canned pears in their own juice, and followed the recipe exactly. The chicken and fruit came out superbly! a great recipe which will definitely be repeated.

Stunningly delicious, and I don't say that lightly. My chicken sat all day in the fridge with the seasonings, and everyone at dinner remarked how the orange and rosemary really infused the meat. I spatchcocked my bird and used plums instead of fresh figs, as others suggested here (and I threw a few dried figs on the platter as well); I also used rice wine vinegar since I had no sherry vinegar on hand, and the flavors were perfect.

Delicious! It made the house smell sublime while it was cooking. I made the recipe as is but added a pinch of red pepper flakes to the orange relish.

This was a wonderful recipe. I used Bartlett pears and had lots of fresh figs. The trees had lots of yield this year. I started with a large chicken and baked at 450 degrees for the first half hour and turned it down to 400 for the second 30 minutes and again down to 350 for the remaining 30 minutes. It had a nice crispy skin and was moist and tender inside. Really a super recipe. Thanks Melissa!

I used drumsticks and thighs instead of a whole bird, lowered the temp to 400 and cooked for the same amount of time as in the recipe. It turned out great. Next time I might try a higher temp to crisp the skin better.

Made this for Rosh Hashanah and really liked it. Could not fine pears anywhere so used 1 large cut up Fuji apple instead and that was good. I also used thighs rather than a whole bird. Cooked at 375. The orange and sherry mixed with pan juices at the end was a real winner. Served with crispy potatoes on the side.

This was good. Put some wine in the bottom of the pan else at 450 you’ll get smoke. It enhances the sauce. Reducing the heat is ok too. Try 425 for 15 minutes then reduce to 375 for the remainder of the time. Spatchcocking is a good idea.