
Savory Figs. Or maybe I should say savoring figs. Because that’s exactly what I like to do this time of year… savor the figs with another summer post featuring this fruit. This time I’ve got savory figs served with braised chicken and a sweet and sour honey gastrique.
It’s summertime. Which is the equivilant of fig stealing season. Err, well I mean fig foraging season. And I love fig foraging. There are 8 or 10 trees in my neighborhood. That’s a lot of figs! I can’t steal them fast enough. Birds love figs and it makes me crazy when they beat me to the best figs. So I have a big bushel that I never seem to get to the bottom of.
To help me get to the bottom of the bushel I eat them freshly plucked from the tree (L.A. soot and all) or cooked to a mushy pulp. I use them in cakes and cookies. I also toss them on top of salads, and of course I make jam or even savory fig ketchup. But I have so many figs this year that I don’t have any regrets experimenting with them too. My fig ketchup turned out so well that I became interested in exploring more recipes with savory figs. So when I came across Judy Rodgers’ recipe for braised chicken legs with figs I knew I was adding it the my menu. It’s a simple preparation that really transforms naturally sweet figs into savory figs.
Savory Figs Gastrique
Which is no easy feat. Figs are so super sweet this time of year it’s difficult to find ways to bring out their dark earthy flavors sometimes. Judy accomplishes this feat by slowly drizzling in a warm mixture of vinegar and honey into the finished dish. This drizzle is what the French call a gastrique. It’s very good at enhancing a sauce with a little acid and a little sweetness. Heat can destroy the sour bite of vinegar. So make sure you add the gastrique at the last minute and only let it simmer a moment of two before you serve this chicken and its savory figs. GREG

I got my first 2 baskets of figs a few days ago, and I’ve been savoring them ever since. Thyme + Fig is a winning combination. I’ll have to pair them with chicken!
Look at you going all “gastrique” on us.…tres bien!
Alas, I have no neighbors from which to pilfer figs. That plate looks fantastic, Greg, way to put that together.
Oh so comforting! Love the flavors of figs and chicken 🙂
how absolutely beautiful!
I don’t know if I’ve ever even had a fresh fig! Sad, I know. I should remedy that.
What a wonderful way to use your um, foraged figs. This is such an elegant dish. I want some now.
We don’t get a lot of figs in Denver; not sure why but now you make me want to go on a hunt. This is beautiful Greg.
This is my 3rd fig recipe and I am loving it! When I was small, I used to think why people like figs, especially my mom who’s crazy about them…but now I really love them. What a change! I really love how you use figs in savory dish. I like eating baked goods with figs but I would prefer making and eating figs in savory dishes. Thank you very much for the recipe!
BEAUTIFUL. Can you have Ryan and me over for dinner? Then again, we did just pick up a pound of figs from Whole Foods. Maybe we just need to make this recipe happen at our own house. Thank you for sharing!
This chicken looks really good.
I am officially jealous of people who get to have fresh fruits.…I don’t I have one single fruit/veg tree and our neighborhood is fairly new, so nothing as yet:(…
I wish there was just ONE fig tree in my neighborhood!
GORGEOUS. This chicken looks seriously amazing, and those figs! Wow! 🙂
Greg, that’s gorgeous. I love savory figs, and I might have to drive through your neighborhood and forage some of my own.
I am printing this out for my next dinner party. I love fresh figs and am experimenting with fig chutney over the weekend. Are you coming to the San Diego Fig Fest? 9/8 4–7pm — should be fun…
I saw some figs at our local Italian grocers not really thinking it was the season. If only I lived in a climate where they were locally grown. It eems that chicken is in my future.