Chicken
1 cup peach preserves (one 13-ounce jar of Bonne Maman peach preserves is about the right amount)
1/2 cup Russian dressing (recipe below)
6 whole chicken breasts, bone in
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary plus half a dozen sprigs for garnish
6 or more peach slices, or other fruit of your choice, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix the peach preserves and Russian dressing. (Reduce preserves for a less sweet dish.) Set aside. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place in a lightly greased baking dish, meaty side up, and spread with half of the Russian dressing—peach mixture. Turn breasts over and spoon on remaining mixture. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary. Bake uncovered until tender, about 1 hour.
Russian Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup ketchup
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 tablespoon grated onion (optional)
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
few drops Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
In a small bowl stir all ingredients together until well mixed. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Makes about 1/2 cup.
To serve, place chicken breasts on a large serving platter and garnish with rosemary sprigs and peach slices. Serves 6.
The chicken recipe is adapted from the cookbook Along the Garden Path by Bill and Sylvia Varney (Nashville: Favorite Recipes Press, 1995), available at the Fredericksburg Herb Farm. The Russian dressing recipe is taken from www.recipesource.com.
