Roasted Chicken with Grapes
A simple roasted chicken with sweet grapes, shallots, and garlic that turns golden and deeply flavorful in the oven.
I’m always on the lookout for a good chicken recipe—especially one that’s simple, delish, and looks like I tried harder than I did.
I came across this one in Food & Wine magazine and immediately started tinkering with it. The original calls for rosemary, which I don’t care for, so that was the first thing to go.
This is juicy, flavorful chicken with sweet roasted grapes, caramelized shallots, and pan juices that are very good served over the top.
It also comes together in under an hour, which doesn’t hurt. Here’s all you do:
Season and brown the chicken in a large skillet with a little olive oil, working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan.
Once browned, return the pieces to the skillet skin-side up and tuck the shallots, grapes, thyme and garlic all around.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil and slide the whole thing into the oven, roasting until it’s cooked through and deeply golden, about 35 to 45 minutes.
It’s easy to put together, which is nice.
Straight out of the oven, it should smell very good, with crispy, golden skin and bubbling juices. You’ll want to spoon some of that over everything.
The grapes soften and burst as they roast, turning sweet and jammy, while the shallots and garlic mellow and caramelize around the edges.
In other words, it’s very good.
This chicken looks especially nice on a white serving dish and feels just right for this time of year.
It’s something you could make for a casual dinner with friends or a weekend night when you want something a little more interesting without making a big production of dinner.
It would fit right in with any spring gathering too.
Serve it with something simple on the side—roasted yellow potatoes, buttery orzo with a little Parmesan cheese, or just some good bakery bread to catch the juices.
Something green is always a good idea, too, like steamed asparagus or a crisp arugula salad with a bright lemon vinaigrette.
And don’t forget dessert! If there was ever a time for old-school strawberry shortcake, this is it.
This is one chicken recipe I’ll be making again.
Thanks so much for reading—I’m really glad you’re here. See you next Sunday!
Roasted Chicken with Grapes
A simple roasted chicken with sweet grapes, shallots, and garlic that turns golden and deeply flavorful in the oven.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (about 4 pounds)
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1⁄3 cup olive oil, divided
2 shallots, peeled and quartered (root to stem)
2 cups seedless red grapes
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
4–5 sprigs fresh thyme
flaky sea salt, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper.In a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, heat half of the olive oil over medium heat. Working in 2–3 batches, place the chicken pieces skin-side down and cook until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Return all of the chicken to the skillet, skin-side up. Add the shallots, grapes, and garlic around the chicken. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
Transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F at the thickest part, and the skin is golden brown, about 35–45 minutes.
Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with the pan juices, grapes, and shallots spooned over the top, and finish with flaky sea salt and fresh thyme.
* Adapted from Food & Wine