Orange Rosemary Chicken — a Renaissance luxury

Photo by John Solberg

Hear ye! Hear ye, good people of the realm! 

Come gather ‘round my lords and ladies. Take pleasure in Alice the Cook teasing thy taste buds with her tempting fare. Hearken to her illumed words as enticing aromas waft through the aire…

Alice the Cook shares her passion for food lore and historical preparation methods at Renaissance Festivals throughout the Midwest. She and her assistants, Brandon Thielen (a.k.a. Nicholas Childs) and Robin Watterworth (a.k.a. Rissa) entertained and enlightened audiences during the seven weekends of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival near Shakopee this year.

The trio caught our attention when my friend, Pam, and I “stepped back into history” during a recent weekend. We enjoyed watching them create and use spice mixtures from the past and returned later to see them prepare their evening’s dinner, Lemon Basil Beef with Carrots and Stuffed Trout, in cast iron pots over a smoky outdoor fire.

The food writer for “Renaissance” magazine since 2009, Alice mentioned rosemary and its legendary history connecting it to the Virgin Mary. Mary once rested her blue cloak on a rosemary bush. When she removed it, the white flowers had turned blue.

Today, Alice shares her Orange Rosemary Chicken recipe with FFF readers. Savour the flavour, dear ladies and lords! CJK

Orange Rosemary Chicken

(Alice the Cook)

Photo by Alice the Cook

3 chickens, cut into pieces

4 cups orange juice

2 tbsp. olive oil

6 oranges

2 turnips, peeled and cubed*

1 parsnip, cleaned, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large leeks, diced

7 large carrots, cleaned and cubed

4 sprigs rosemary

1 tsp. garam masala

Black pepper, to taste

*4 large white potatoes, peeled and cubed, may be substituted for the turnips

Marinate the chicken in 4 cups of orange juice for at least 4 hours.

Remove the zest of 4 of the oranges and juice all 6 of them. (Reserve 2 tbsp. of the zest.) Combine remaining zest and juice.

In a large pot, or Dutch oven, heat the oil and remove the chicken from the marinade and brown the chicken. (Discard the marinade.)

Once browned and without removing the chicken, add (all but the reserved) orange zest and the fresh orange juice. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Add the turnips (*or potatoes), parsnips, leeks and carrots. Tear the rosemary in half and add to the mixture. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is done — approximately 25 minutes.

Place chicken on serving platter when done and let sit five minutes. Arrange vegetables around chicken. Sprinkle the reserved orange zest and garam masala over the dish before serving.

Yield: 12 servings

A note from Alice the Cook: Orange Rosemary Chicken was popular among nobles throughout the southern European and Mediterranean regions during the later Renaissance period. Oranges were considered a delicacy and were much sought after. It’s important to use fresh zest for the recipe — dried orange peel will not offer the same intense flavor.

Root vegetables were commonplace in most of the cuisines throughout Europe during the Renaissance and turnips were frequently used then. Potatoes were brought to Europe with the discovery of the New World and were not regularly consumed at that time. However, I suggest them as a possible substitution for the turnips as most modern palates are not accustomed to their particular taste and texture.

Serve this chicken dish family style with rustic bread and, perhaps, a glass of red wine.

A note from Carol: Huzzah to Alice the Cook!