Elegant enough for guests yet simple enough for weeknights, this one-pan dish will soon become one of your go-to dishes. (If you don’t want to cut up a whole chicken—not always the least expensive option—buy thighs, breasts, or even legs.) Serve with a nice rosé or an effervescent Lambrusco.
Ingredients
- One 4-pound roaster chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 4 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided use
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, dry white wine, or water
- 1 medium bunch of red seedless grapes (about 2 cups), divided into small clusters
- 1 large garlic head, separated, cloves peeled (15 to 20 cloves)
- 1 small bunch fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Season the chicken pieces with the salt. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange the chicken pieces in the skillet, skin sides down and cook until the skin is browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat
and transfer the chicken to a plate.
Step 2
Deglaze the pan: Add the chicken broth to the hot skillet, stirring and
scraping up any brown bits, called the fond. Add the grapes, garlic cloves, and rosemary to the skillet. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, skin sides up, nestling them between the grape clusters. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
Step 3
Roast in the preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken pieces registers 165°F, 22 to 25 minutes. (If using chicken legs, roast to 170°F.) Let the chicken rest 10 minutes, then sprinkle with black pepper.
Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from foodandwine.com