Braised Chicken with Grapes and Shallots

Braising a chicken in white wine creates a natural sauce, enriched by the fat from the chicken as it cooks. Whole cluster grapes make for pretty presentation and provide a touch of acidity and sweetness. Make sure you pause for a moment to eat with your eyes before tearing up some crusty bread to drag through the irresistible sauce.  

Chicken and Grapes 1.png

Pairing Notes:

There is a lot going on in this recipe. Sweetness from the grapes, a hint of sour from the balsamic, and a naturally unctuous sauce from the fat of the chicken. You could go a few ways on pairing. A lighter red with a good kick of acidity, like a Beaujolais Villages, would work nicely. For white wine drinkers, this is the sort of white meat that would stand up nicely to the body and complexity of an aged white Rioja, such as the B. Palacio Cosme Palacio Blanco 2012. The layered creamy notes of the wine are a fitting complement to this equally layered chicken dish.  

Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

1.5 kg whole chicken

Salt

Pepper

150 gram flour

5 T. olive oil

6 small shallots

500 grams red, seedless grapes

1 T. minced fresh rosemary

1 T. balsamic vinegar

500 ml white wine

  1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C.

  2. Cut chicken into quarters, leaving skin on and thigh bones intact. Season chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper.

  3. Place flour in a shallow plate. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour to lightly coat on both sides, then set aside.

  4. Heat four tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Place two chicken pieces in the hot oil. Cook for several minutes on each side until skin is crisp and golden. Once browned, removed from sauté and let rest in a large baking dish. Repeat with remaining two pieces of chicken.

  5. While chicken is browning, trim shallots on each end and peel. Cut in half lengthwise. Mince rosemary. Remove half the grapes from their stems and cut in half lengthwise. Reserve remaining grapes still attached to their stems broken up into four or five small clusters.

  6. Once all pieces of chicken are browned, remove pan from heat. Wipe out any overly brown bits with a paper towel. Return pan to heat over medium with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add shallots to the pan and cook while turning until browned slightly on each side. Add white wine to the pan with the shallots and deglaze, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits. Stir in rosemary and balsamic. Turn off heat and stir in sliced grape halves.

  7. Place chicken in a baking dish just large enough to hold the pieces in a single layer. Pour the white mixture with shallots and grapes around the chicken. Place remaining grape clusters around the chicken.

  8. Bake chicken for 30 – 35 minutes until juices run clear from the thighs. Serve warm with crusty bread for mopping up the juices.

RecipesAmy Powell