Harvest Chicken

This is an easy chicken recipe which is perfect for Rosh Hashannah. A person could add honey to the chicken to get the full-on holiday feel, but who needs the extra calories? The beauty of this is that you do not need to thicken the sauce or prepare a starch. You could substitute kasha or even rice for the barley. Reheats wonderfully.

1 cut-up or butterflied kosher chicken
15 or so small carrots - chopped
2 hearts of celery - chopped
1 or 2 red or yellow onions - chopped
2 bunches scallions (spring onions) - chopped
1 head garlic - peeled, cleaned and smashed
2-4 bay leaves - depends on how much you like bay
1 cup dried cranberries - you may know them as crasins - you can also use pomegranate
1 cup more or less barley - this can be omitted if you despise barley
2-3 cups apple cider or kosher apple juice
Salt/Pepper to taste

Oil a large, deep baking pan and place chopped vegetables, garlic, cranberries, garlic and bay in the bottom of the pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Add barley and then pour apple cider over all. The juice should nearly cover the vegetables. Place the chicken over the vegetablees. Salt and pepper again if you like. Place in a 375 oven for 1 - 1.5 hrs until chicken is cooked and carrots are soft and barley is done. Add more cider if the barley looks like it is drying out.