Peach and Pomegranate Glaze

Peach and Pomegranate Glazed Chicken

I was having a cookout with friends and wanted a sauce for the chicken. Didn’t want to use the same old  barbecue sauce. I rummaged around the kitchen and found a jar of peach preserves I had made last year. I used that as the base and added a few more ingredients to make the glaze. The original plan was to grill our chicken outside, but a batch of thunderstorms brought the cooking indoors. I ended up baking the chicken in the oven and topping it with this peach and pomegranate glaze. It came out just the way I wanted it- all sticky and golden. I could see using this on other meats- pork and duck both come to mind.

To make the chicken:
Place chicken pieces on a wire rack in a baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove chicken and place in another baking pan. Don’t use the rack this time. Pour glaze over the chicken pieces and return chicken to the oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook chicken another 45 minutes to an hour- or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Serve chicken on a platter- or even in the baking dish. Place some of the glaze from the pan in a small bowl with a spoon – so guests can add more glaze, if they like.

Peach Pomegranate Glaze

1 c. peach preserves*
½ c. pomegranate molasses**
2 T. maple syrup
1 T. spicy mustard, I used a whole grain mustard
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. hot sauce- or more to taste
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer together for about 10 minutes. Brush on meat while grilling or you can pour some over the meat while baking.
* I used a jar of homemade peach preserves, but apricot preserves would also work.
** Pomegranate molasses might be a hard ingredient for you to find. To make your own- just boil pomegranate juice down until it becomes thick- like maple syrup.