Fig-Glazed Chicken with Apples

For Rosh Hashanah (or back to school) dinner

Fig-Glazed Chicken with Apples

Well here we are! Summer is coming to an end - at least according to the calendar, if not the thermometer. Meanwhile, we are about to enter peak “back to school” season and peak “high holiday content(TM)” season almost simultaneously. It’s honestly a lot to process.

So I’m thinking of this week’s newsletter as both a farewell, and a chance to take a breath and make room for everything waiting for us just on the other side of Labor Day.

This week, instead of hearing from me, I’d love to hear from you! I’m wondering:

1. Are you thinking about the high holidays yet? Have you pulled your cookbooks off the shelf (or started Googling “interesting brisket recipes”), and started sketching out a menu? Or are you holding on for dear life to the summer vibes?

AND/OR

2. Does your family have a back to school food ritual? Do you have a dinner (or special breakfast) that you make in the early autumn to mark the changing of the seasons? For me, that first pot of chicken soup, which I make as soon as it drops below 75 degrees, always feels like a pretty big deal.

Share your thoughts in the comment section below! And here’s a friendly reminder that paid subscribers of this newsletter get to take part in lively community conversations like this every week via The Jewish Table’s Friday Kibbitz chat threads.

Okay, back to the Fig-Glazed Chicken with Apples! This dish is my answer to both of the questions above. The sticky-sweet fig jam glaze brushed over the crispy roasted chicken makes it a perfect fit for the Rosh Hashanah table. (What better way to start off a sweet new year than with a sweet new chicken dish, eh?) And the apples, which grow tender and infused with schmaltzy flavor from the chicken, are pretty irresistible.

As of now, this recipe represents the sum total of my Rosh Hashanah dinner plans. But while I am still dreaming up the rest of our menu, I’m glad to have a main dish sorted out.

This chicken dish is also simple enough to make for dinner after the first night of school. (It can be made ahead and reheated!) Big transitions can be tough on little people and grownups alike - family-friendly dishes like this can help bridge the gap and mark the passage of time.

I’ll be back next week with all the high holiday goodness you could want (and then some!) Until then, wishing you all a happy and restful long weekend. Who knows? Maybe you’ve got some glazed chicken-related plans in your immediate future. (Or maybe you’re filing this recipe away for Rosh Hashanah, or dinner after an afternoon of apple picking.) Either way, here’s how you make it:

Sticky, sweet, savory, schmaltzy chicken.

Fig-Glazed Chicken with Apples

Serves 4 to 6