Thompson Grapes Roasted Chicken
Recipe by Silvia Baldini – This is a simple but stunning recipe, and is a hybrid of a popular fall Italian dish often prepared during grape harvesting season and the French vinegar roasted chicken. I nestle whole clusters of stem-on sweet Thompson grapes around my chicken to roast in the savory pan juices. A sprinkle of sugar on the grapes and a splash of sherry or high-quality balsamic vinegar give it a crisp acidity to balance the bright and deep flavors. 
Thompson Grapes Roasted Chicken
Recipe by Silvia Baldini – This is a simple but stunning recipe, and is a hybrid of a popular fall Italian dish often prepared during grape harvesting season and the French vinegar roasted chicken. I nestle whole clusters of stem-on sweet Thompson grapes around my chicken to roast in the savory pan juices. A sprinkle of sugar on the grapes and a splash of sherry or high-quality balsamic vinegar give it a crisp acidity to balance the bright and deep flavors. 
Servings Prep Time
4-6people 30minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Servings Prep Time
4-6people 30minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Ingredients
  • 1tablespoon coarse sea salt, plus more as needed
  • 1teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 2teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1(3 ½ to 4 lb) whole chicken, spatchcocked (see notes)
  • 1lb stem-on Thompson grapes, or sweet seedless black grapes, trimmed into small clusters 
  • 1teaspoon granulated white sugar
  • ½cup sherry vinegar or aged dark balsamic, plus 2 tablespoons for finishing
  • 1 ½teaspoons unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Rub 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil generously over both sides of the chicken.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  3. Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the pan and oil are hot, place chicken in the skillet skin side down. Cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is nicely browned. Turn chicken skin-side up and cook for 3 minutes on the other side.  Transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes. In a medium bowl, toss the grapes with 2 teaspoons olive oil, sugar, ½ cup sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Scatter the grapes with their vinegar sauce over and around the chicken and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the grapes are lightly caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes.
  4. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter to rest. Use the stems to lift out the grapes to rest alongside the chicken.. Place the skillet over medium- high heat. Swirl 2 tablespoons of vinegar into the pan juices and whisk in the butter , reduce for 4 to 5 minutes, until dense and slightly caramelized. Return the grapes to the thickened sauce and gently swirl around for a minute to coat.
  5. Scatter the glossy grape bunches around the chicken and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
  • Spatchcocking chicken, or butterflying, means cutting the chicken along its backbone, then opening it up so that it can lie flat in a pan or on a grill. Spatchcocked chickens cook quickly and evenly, turning uniformly brown and with a perfect crispy skin. You can ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you, but it’s not a hard thing to do yourself. I use my sharp kitchen shears and I cut alongside the backbone, from one end of the bird to the other. Then I cut along the other side of the backbone to remove it completely and then I flatten the whole bird evenly with the palm of my hands.
  • You can roast 8 to 10 chicken parts (mix of bone-in breasts, thighs and drumsticks) instead of one spatchcocked chicken. Check the temperature with a digital thermometer at the 30 minute mark, removing and keeping warm any pieces that cook through early.
  • Thompson grapes are very sweet and appear at the end of the summer and beginning of fall. You can substitute with any kind of sweet and seedless black grape or plums to make this lovely recipe all year around.

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