Adi's Kibbutz Chicken With Honey

Adi Levy learned this dish when she worked in a kibbutz kitchen in Israel. The chicken is partially roasted, and then finishes cooking with a honey-soy sauce flavored with white wine, which forms a sweet glaze. Rice embellished with pistachios and raisins makes a good accompaniment.

A 3 1/2 – to 4-pound chicken

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Reserve chicken neck and giblets. Pull out fat from inside chicken. Truss chicken if desired.

Set chicken on a rack in a heavy roasting pan. Roast chicken for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons honey with the wine, soy sauce and pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from oven and brush all over with honey mixture. Add 1/2 cup stock to roasting pan.

Roast chicken 20 more minutes. Turn chicken over. If it’s browning too fast, cover it with foil. If pan is dry, add a few tablespoons stock. Roast 10 to 20 minutes longer or until done. Juices should run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with thin knife; if juices are pink, roast a few more minutes and test again. Transfer chicken to a board, cover and keep warm.

To make sauce, remove roasting rack from pan. Skim fat from roasting juices in pan. Set roasting pan on a burner over medium heat. Add remaining stock and bring to a simmer, scraping browned juices into stock. Remove from heat. Strain juices into a medium saucepan. Skim fat again.

Bring juices to a simmer. Whisk potato starch mixture and gradually pour into simmering juices, whisking constantly. Return to a boil, whisking. Simmer 1 or 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in remaining tablespoon honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Carve chicken and serve with sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 662 calories; 32 g fat (9 g saturated fat; 44 percent calories from fat); 20 g carbohydrates; 265 mg cholesterol; 1,073 mg sodium; 68 g protein; 0 g fiber.