White Wine, Honey and Fig Chicken

White Wine, Honey and Fig Chicken! Make me for the fall (aka Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Shabbat, next Tuesday.)

Ooh fall! Are you ready for pumpkin spice everything?? And cozy sweaters, and spiked rainbow coffee and snuggling? Boy, am I.

When I lived in Texas, and the 100-degree weather finally subsided for queso-winter-bod and football, it was a welcome change. Now that I’m in San Francisco, the 65-degree weather makes way for… more 65-degree weather. Hmm.

Annnyyway. Just because I’ve been sipping on local cabs in an earth-tone cardigan all summer, doesn’t mean I’m not pumped for fall food! And this chicken takes the cake. Errr, chicken. It’s just perfect for Rosh Hashanah too!

What Is White Wine, Honey and Fig Chicken?

It is a one pot braise. Chicken thighs get browned until deeply golden, then simmer low and slow in dry white wine with honey, onions, leeks, garlic, fresh figs and rosemary. The wine and honey cook down into a glossy sweet and savory sauce, and the figs go soft and jammy and melt right into it.

Think of it as a Jewish holiday answer to coq au vin. Less fuss, more honey, and a whole lot more symbolism on the plate.

This recipe has lots of super fun Rosh Hashanah symbols (yes, this is my idea of fun. Yes, you can judge me.) We’ve got figs (a new fruit), leeks (signifies removing of your enemies), honey (for a sweet New Year). Almost too much fun to handle!

Why You’ll Love This Fig Chicken

• It is a one pot meal. Brown, saute, simmer, done. Fewer dishes to wash means more time to sit down with your guests.
• It is actually better made ahead. A holiday recipe that wants to be cooked the day before is a gift. Take it.
• It looks like a showstopper. Halved figs and rosemary sprigs tucked around golden chicken need zero garnishing help from you.
• The symbols do the talking. Figs, leeks and honey all in one pot, so your Rosh Hashanah table has a built in conversation starter.
• Two glasses for the pot, two for the cook. I do not make the rules.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Thighs are the move here. They stay juicy through a long simmer in a way breasts simply will not.
• Fresh figs. Black Mission or Brown Turkey both work. Look for fruit that is soft but not weeping.
• Dry white wine. Two to three cups. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio are perfect. Nothing sweet, since the honey is already handling that.
• Honey. One third cup, for a sweet New Year and a glossy sauce.
• Leeks, white onion and garlic. The savory backbone. Do not skip the leeks, they turn silky and are their own Rosh Hashanah siman.
• Fresh rosemary. Three sprigs, added whole so you can pull them out later.
• Olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper and red chili pepper flakes. The chili is optional, but a little heat against all that honey is lovely.

How to Make White Wine, Honey and Fig Chicken

1. Season and brown the chicken. Dry the thighs well and season both sides with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Brown them in batches in a Dutch oven, about 8 minutes, without crowding the pan. Be patient here. This is where the flavor comes from.
2. Soften the vegetables. Move the chicken to a plate, then saute the onion, leeks and garlic with a little salt for 5 to 7 minutes, scraping up every browned bit stuck to the bottom.
3. Build the sauce. Add the honey and 2 cups of wine and bring it to a simmer, stirring as you go.
4. Add everything back. Return the chicken to the pot so it is partially covered by the liquid, adding more wine if you need it. Tuck the fig halves and rosemary around the chicken.
5. Simmer low. Cover and lower the heat to barely a simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the chicken is tender.
6. Reduce and serve. Pull out the chicken and the rosemary stems, then reduce the sauce over a high simmer until it thickens. Serve the chicken with that onion, leek and figgy sauce spooned over.

What to Serve With Fig Chicken

I love that this meal cooks in one bowl. Add a nice ole side salad, maybe a potato kugel, and dinner is served. A Jerusalem kugel is lovely here too, since its peppery sweetness plays well with the honey.

You will want challah on the table for the sauce, obviously. Start the meal with apples, honey and goat cheese crostini, and finish with tzimmes cake or poached figs with honey and orange to keep the fig thing going. Building a whole meal? I laid the entire spread out in my Rosh Hashanah menu.

Tips for the Best Fig Chicken

• Dry the chicken really well. Wet chicken steams instead of browning, and browning is the whole ballgame.
• Do not crowd the pan. Brown in batches even though it takes longer. Crowding drops the temperature and you lose the crust.
• Keep the simmer lazy. A hard boil tightens up the thighs. You want barely a bubble.
• Add the figs late and whole. Halved and tucked around the edges, they hold their shape instead of dissolving into mush.
• Taste before you reduce. Wine varies. If yours is on the tart side, another drizzle of honey balances it out.

And the best part? The recipe uses two glasses of wine so you have two left over to drink! Yay!

How to Store and Reheat

This chicken is even better made a day ahead. Cool the chicken right in its sauce and reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, or in a 200 degree oven. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

It freezes well too. Freeze the chicken in the sauce for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and reheat low and slow. The figs soften further after freezing, which is not a bad thing.

White Wine, Honey and Fig Chicken FAQ

What do figs symbolize on Rosh Hashanah?

Figs are eaten as a new fruit, the seasonal fruit you have not yet tasted that year, which is the reason for the shehecheyanu blessing on the second night. They are also one of the seven species of the land of Israel. This dish doubles down with leeks, which symbolize removing your enemies, and honey for a sweet New Year.

Can I use dried figs instead of fresh?

You can, though the texture changes. Use about half the amount, since dried figs are much more concentrated, and add them earlier so they have time to plump in the wine. Fresh figs have a short season, so if you are cooking outside late summer and early fall, dried is a perfectly good backup.

What white wine is best for braising chicken?

A dry, crisp white like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Skip anything sweet or heavily oaked, because the honey brings plenty of sweetness on its own. The usual rule holds: if you would not drink a glass of it, do not braise with it.

Can I make this with chicken breasts or bone-in pieces?

Bone-in thighs or legs are wonderful and only need a bit more time. Breasts are trickier, since they dry out over a long simmer. If breasts are what you have, add them for the last 20 to 25 minutes only.

Is this recipe kosher for a meat meal?

Yes. There is no dairy anywhere in it, so it is naturally fleishig and fine for a holiday meat meal. Just use a kosher wine if that matters for your table.

Does the alcohol cook off?

Most of it does over a 45 to 60 minute simmer, though not every last bit. What is left behind is the flavor, not the buzz. If you would rather skip the wine entirely, chicken broth with a splash of white wine vinegar gets you a similar brightness.

How far ahead can I make it?

A full day ahead is ideal, and honestly better than same day. The sauce deepens overnight and the flavors settle in. For Rosh Hashanah, that means you can cook on the day before and spend the holiday actually sitting at the table.

Looking for more chicken for the holidays? Try my honey horseradish roasted chicken or these white wine braised chicken thighs with tomatoes and potatoes. And for dessert, flourless almond fig cake keeps the figs coming.

White Wine, Honey and Fig Chicken

Amy Kritzer

White Wine, Honey and Fig Chicken! Make me for the Fall (aka Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Shabbat, Tuesday.)

4.50 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 6 pieces

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes optional
• 1 large white onion sliced
• 2 medium leeks sliced
• 5 large garlic cloves smashed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 - 3 cups dry white wine
• 9 fresh figs halved
• 3 sprigs rosemary

Instructions

 

• Dry the chicken well and season both sides with salt, black pepper and red chili pepper.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan over medium -high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Brown chicken in batches (don't overcrowd the pan) until brown on both sides, about 8 minutes. If it starts to burn, turn heat down to medium. Be patient! This will give your chicken flavor.
• Remove the chicken to a plate and add olive oil and heat oven medium. Add onion, leeks and garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt and saute for 5-7 minutes until soft, scraping all the good stuff from the bottom. That's the flavor!
• Then add honey and 2 cups of wine and bring to a simmer while stirring.
• Add the chicken back in; chicken should be partially covered by wine. Add more wine if necessary. If not, more wine to drink!
• Place fig halves and rosemary around the chicken, cover, and lower heat to just barely a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour until chicken is tender.
• Remove chicken and rosemary pieces, and reduce sauce over a high simmer. Let cool slightly and serve chicken with onion leek figgy saucy mixture.
• Make ahead: this chicken is even better made a day ahead of time. Cool chicken in the sauce and reheat on the stovetop over low or in a 200-degree oven.

Like this recipe?Leave a comment or rate us above