Thyme Roasted Chicken & Grapes
My Yiayia could make a meal out of anything in the fridge - she showed me how creative you can be in the kitchen. I essentially play chopped against myself on a weekly basis to keep her spirit & my creative skills alive. Over the years I have learned that so many flavors you might not have considered pairing together, actually mesh perfectly with one another, like this recipe! Yiayia also taught me to not be afraid of fruits in savory dishes, they add a balance to the meal and can even elevate the flavors and textures. This is an adaptation of her Pork and Roasted Grape dish, which as you can imagine is friggin delish. The unusual mixture of ingredients forms an absolutely balanced dish & is the perfect meal to impress your friends, family, fiancé?? It takes less than 15 minutes to prep and a total of 40 minutes cook time. One of my all time favorite meals, its biweekly repeat in my house and I hope it’ll be the same for you!
Ingredients
4 medium bone-in chicken breast (I prefer skin on, but you can also do skinless)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, roughly chopped
I prefer to use Miyokos vegan butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 shallots, sliced into 1/4 inch slivers
2 cups seedless red grapes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small spring of rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400℉
Pat chicken dry on either side with a paper towel then season with salt, thyme, and pepper.
Heat cast iron on medium to high heat. Toss a sprinkle of water on the pan to see if its hot enough, if it sizzles it is ready.
Using tongs, place your chicken skin side down on the cast iron and sear for 5 minutes on each side. Once chicken is seared, place to the side on a separate plate.
Reduce the heat of your cast iron to medium before adding in olive oil garlic and shallots. Add in garlic and shallots and sauté until they begin to be fragrant, roughly two minutes.
Turn off burner and add butter, grapes, chicken and rosemary into the pan. I prefer to add some grapes underneath and also surrounding the chicken.
Once chicken and grapes are all nestled in, add in the wine and chicken stock as well as any remaining herbs.
Place cast iron into the oven for 25 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked through. Test this by checking if the juices run clear. If they don’t leave in for another few minutes.
Remove cast iron and let cool. I recommend pairing with my sourdough recipe or my sweet corn parmesan polenta for a heartier meal.
Voila!
Also if you have the time, I recommend marinating your chicken thighs in an olive oil, white wine, thyme, & rosemary mixture for an hour before you plan to cook the chicken!
If you’ve tried the recipe, please comment below and let me know your thoughts!