Favorite Chicken Recipes for Shabbat Dinner

This classic, kosher recipe can be trusted to come out perfectly every time; the ingredients are affordable and the directions are easy. I got the recipe from my mother who thinks she clipped it from a Baltimore newspaper in about 1960. Since the chicken has a nice amount of tasty juices, rice is a wonderful accompaniment. Any vegetable works well as a side dish; I particularly like peas, cauliflower or string beans.

1 Chicken, cut into eighths, bone in, skin on

Mix:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
dash of Tabasco
Dash of paprika
1 bouillion cube dissolved into 1/4 cup of water

Pour marinade over chicken parts. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place chicken in baking pan, skin side down, for 1 - 1.5 hours. Baste; and turn chicken parts over so that skin side is up. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees for last 15 minutes of cooking. If desired, place under broiler briefly to crisp the skin.

This is another family favorite that I have been preparing for years. I can even remember specific occasions when I made it. One in particular comes to mind. My daughter's class was leading a Shabbat service at the synagogue and we, the parents, needed to cook the Shabbat meal that followed, by ourselves. This is the recipe that we used, and the dinner was as memorable as the tremendous snowstorm that night. (and the kids, of course!)

1 chicken, cut in eighths (bone in, skin on)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup lime juice (fresh or bottled)
2 tbsp. chopped onion
2 tsp. dry tarragon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. tabasco

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk all of the ingredients together; pour over chicken. If you have time to marinate the chicken, the flavors will be enhanced. Even a few hours can make a difference, but it is not a necessity.

Place chicken in rimmed baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. You can turn the chicken over if you'd like to get a little color on the other side. If desired, near the end of the baking, you can sprinkle some paprika on the chicken and put under the broiler briefly to crisp the skin. To serve, garnish with slices of fresh lime.

The marinade that remains after baking the chicken can be poured over rice or couscous which is a nice accompaniment to the chicken.

This is another recipe that I got from my mother. It is written on a sheet of paper that has become curled and stained from so much use over the years.

(2) chickens, cut in eighths, bone in, skin on
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. grated onion
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dry tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and pour over chicken. Marinate chicken if time permits; overnight is best. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.

This chicken has a nice kick to it because of the mustard. A sweet accompaniment such as roasted butternut squash, will complement the flavors. It is nicely paired with rice, noodles or couscous.

So easy!

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. onion salt
6 oz. apricot jam
Few drops of Worcesterhire sauce
1 package onion soup mix for four

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken with onion salt. Bake chicken without sauce for 15 minutes. Mix jam with soup mix and Worcestershire sauce. Cover chicken with half the sauce and bake for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over and cover with rest of sauce and bake another 20 minutes until done. Serve over rice or noodles.

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