Chicken with Cherry Sauce

(Vişneli Tavuk)

1 whole chicken
1 lemon, cut in 4
1 small onion, peeled
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
Salt
Pepper

Cherry Sauce:
1 cup red sour pitted Cherry compote juice, in jar-in light syrup
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 cup cherries
1 tbsp butter, unsalted

1 /4 cup sliced almond, roasted

Wash the chicken and dry it with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper inside and outside of chicken. Also season with oregano inside of it and place lemon wedges and onion in it. Spread the butter all over the chicken with your hand. Place chicken in a oven dish, cover with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven 500 F (260 C), cook for about half an hour. Remove the aluminum foil, reduce the heat to 350 F (180 C), cook another 1 hour. Let sit chicken 10 minutes, then cut in four.

In the meantime prepare the sauce; Place the sugar, honey, cinnamon and corn starch in a small pot. Slowly add 1 cup of cherry compote juice and stir constantly to avoid lumps over medium heat. When it gets thicker, add in the cherries and butter. Cook for 1 more minute and turn the heat off.

Place the baked chicken pieces on a serving dish. Pour the cherry sauce over the chicken, sprinkle some roasted almonds and serve with Pilaf with Orzo.

4 servings.