Blast from the Past: Peach-Glazed Chicken

Back when I was a pup (during the 14th Century), I hadn't yet learned to cook much beyond burning some eggs for breakfast.  I could handle boiling water pretty well . . . and toast, I suppose, since the toaster did all the hard stuff.  Otherwise, anything I cooked needed to be smothered in sauce to hide the residue of the cooking process.  There was, however, one recipe that I could make without fail, and bonus!  It made its own gravy.  Back then gravy was almost as intimidating as pie crust (which I wouldn't attempt at all).

So, by way of explaining how I happen to be making this relic of a recipe, I keep my tested recipes in a database on my computer.  I have two different software packages.  The original one is now so old that it isn't supported by my Windows software any more.  The engineer of the family actually had to load a virtual Windows XP program so that I could open it.  (He's very smart that way.)  The other day when I tried to open it, the computer started acting all weird, nervous, and thirsty.  I decided the day had come that I needed to print off any recipes I wanted to keep, and in the process, I came across this chicken recipe that I hadn't made in years.

Enter last night's dinner.  Sometimes when I try these old recipes, they just don't taste as delicious as I remember them.  I was kind of excited about this one, however, because the gravy is so tasty.  It's made from canned peaches and it has a really nice flavor.  I made it with mashed potatoes because it would be a shame not to have something to douse with a big ladle of gravy.  It would be equally good with rice or, my favorite, Chicken Rice-A-Roni.  (We are big on Rice-A-Roni in our family.)

So without further delay, here is a delicious chicken recipe easy enough for a beginner cook, yet yummy enough to serve to guests.  You can put this together in about five minutes, and then let it bake for an hour.  Nothing could be easier unless someone else cooked it for you. 

This recipe is from the Make Ahead Cookbook published way back in 1971, when I was still in high school.  (You thought I was kidding about the 14th Century didn't you?)

Peach-Glazed Chicken
Serves 4

2 1/2 to 3 pounds skin-on chicken (I like to use thighs)
Salt
Paprika
1 can (16 oz.) peach halves (packed in heavy syrup)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Arrange chicken in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.  Sprinkle with paprika and salt.

Drain peaches, reserving 1/2 cup syrup.  Combine reserved syrup, juice, and soy sauce.  Set aside 4 peach halves; mash remaining.  Add mashed peaches to soy mixture; drizzle over chicken.  Dot with butter.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, basting often with sauce.  Place reserved peaches in pan; bake 15 minutes more, continuing to baste often with sauce.

Remove chicken and peaches to platter.  Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water; stir into pan juices.  Cook and stir until thick.  Serve with chicken.