Roasted Chicken with Cherry and Almond Wild Rice

From: Chef/owner Jasper Mirabile,  Jasper’s, Kansas City, MO.  Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup melted butter
1 orange, peeled and quartered
1 onion, julienned
2 lb. bone-in chicken parts (thighs, breasts, wings, legs), rinsed and patted dry
1⁄8 tsp. sea salt
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup pitted and halved fresh Bing cherries

Cherry and Almond Wild Rice:
4 qt. water
8 oz. Grade A wild rice
4 oz. butter
1 onion, minced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup pitted and halved fresh Bing cherries
¼ cup shaved almonds
½ cup amaretto liqueur
to taste, salt
as needed, fresh rosemary

In a large mixing bowl, pour in balsamic vinegar along with brown sugar, butter, orange quarters and onion. Mix well. Add chicken to the bowl and sprinkle with salt and rosemary. Toss chicken in balsamic mixture to coat. Add cherries and remove chicken and sauce to a roasting pan. Roast at 400°F for 45 minutes until chicken is golden, basting as needed. Reserve pan juices.

For wild rice: Bring water to a boil. Cook wild rice according to package directions. Strain and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat butter over medium heat. Saute onion until caramelized, taking care not to burn. Add tomato and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add cooked wild rice and cherries. Toss with shaved almond. Add amaretto to the pan and season with salt.

To serve: Place wild rice on a serving platter and top with roasted chicken. Pour juices from roasting pan over entire platter and garnish with rosemary.