One of the biggest things I’ve missed while I’ve been running around this summer has been cooking on Sundays. Spending a few hours in the kitchen stirring some pots or working on a dinner project is really meditative for me, a relaxing way to prepare myself for the week ahead. This is one routine I couldn’t wait to reincorporate into my life, and what better way to to get back in gear than with one of my favorite recipes from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook?
This harvest roast chicken feels like a natural choice for early fall dinners: it requires minimal oven time and doesn’t leave you with the meat sweats, unlike some of the heartier cold-weather roasts.
And that combination of roasted grapes, olives, shallots and rosemary? OH EM GEE. Sweet, savory, slightly bitter, it’s perfection, especially when bathed in the white wine-laced pan sauce. I want to bathe in the white wine-laced pan sauce. Is that weird? #sorrynotsorry I can’t be held accountable when presented with chicken as delicious as this. You need nothing more than a hunk of good bread and sharply dressed greens to make this a meal, and what a meal it is. No more Sunday scaries here, not when dinner is this delicious.
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Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes and Olives
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken parts (thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts), with skin and bones (I used whole chicken legs)
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup seedless red grapes
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a Chardonnay)
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with a rack in middle. Pat the chicken completely dry, and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat the oil in a cast-iron (or other heavy ovenproof) skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in batches, brown the chicken — skin-side down first, then flip once. Take your time here, not moving the chicken until the skin releases itself and is nicely bronzed (5-7 minutes per batch).
- Return the pieces to the pan, skin-side up, and surround the chicken with the grapes, olives and shallots. Roast the chicken in the oven until it has just cooked through and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken, grapes, and olives to a platter, then add the wine, chicken broth and rosemary to the pan juices in the skillet. Bring the liquid to a boil, scraping up any brown bits, until it has reduced by half, 2-3 minutes. Strain the sauce if desired, then pour it over the chicken. Serve with lots of baguette to mop up that insanely delicious sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
Love the new lighting!