For the last three or so months of 2020, I actively avoided making chicken. I had made so much chicken from March through September that I was afraid I was starting to cluck. So chicken and I took a little break, and I invested most of my energy in turkey, beef, seafood, and sausage.
With 2021, I needed a new chicken recipe -- something simple, straightforward, and quick, but still completely different from what I had gotten so bored of. I wanted some new flavors to my chicken. What could I possibly bring to the table?
Well, there's a tradition that says you should eat 12 grapes on New Year's Eve as a way to predict your year. The first grape you eat stands for January, and so on. A sweet grape calls for a good month, a sour grape calls for a bad month, a bland grape is uneventful, etc. Once complete, you're said to be set for a year of good luck.
We have kept this tradition of eating 12 grapes on New Year's Eve for a few years, and somewhere around grape number three I hit the inspiration to pair chicken and grapes.
Chicken and grapes is by no means a revolutionary idea, but I had never actually tried it before. As someone who was raised to love both natural and artificial grape (a trait that made me a minority among peers), incorporating the juicy purple fruit into a savory meal seemed like a dream come true.
This dish is so incredibly simple, yet super satisfying. The warm, sweet grapes play nicely with the blank canvas of chicken, and a sprinkling of sumac (though optional) ensures a bit of tang to offset the sugar. To further reinforce the addition of grapes, red wine plays a key role as the primary ingredient in the sauce. Serve with your favorite starch and green, and you've got dinner on the table in no time.
And who knows, maybe this recipe will also predict your year and inspire luck. If anything, it will give you a new way to enjoy two fridge staples.
With a whole year to go,
~c.j.
P.S.: One of my New Year's resolutions is to blog twice a week! So I've set up a schedule: starting today, I will have new blog posts every Wednesday and Saturday. Keep your eyes peeled for more delicious recipes!
CHICKEN & GRAPES
PREP TIME: 2 minutes
ACTIVE COOK TIME: 25-30 minutes
INACTIVE COOK TIME: 10-20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35-50 minutes
YIELD: 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS
6-8 skin-on chicken thighs (can be bone-in or boneless)
kosher salt
freshly grated black pepper
2 medium or 3 small red onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
1 1/2 c. dry red wine
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 c. red seedless grapes
sumac, for sprinkling (optional, though highly recommended)
small handful of basil leaves, for garnish (you could also use any leafy herb, such as parsley, cilantro, tarragon, or mint)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Season the chicken thighs all over in salt and pepper. Place the chicken thighs skin side down in a very large oven safe skillet, such as a cast iron skillet. Move the skillet to the stovetop, and turn on the stove to medium-high. Allow to cook undisturbed until skin is very dark brown and chicken fat is rendered, 8-10 minutes. Flip the chicken and allow to cook on opposite side until the surface of the chicken is no longer raw, 1 minute. Remove chicken from skillet (leave all that rendered chicken fat in there) and set aside. Remove skillet from the burner and allow to cool about 1 minute. Return skillet to the heat, and reduce heat to medium.
Add onions to skillet and sauté until softened and beginning to go transluscent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring every few minutes, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 7-10 minutes. (You should be able to move the spoon through the wine and see the bottom of the pan before the wine fills back in). Stir in the butter until completely melted.
Return chicken to the pan skin side up. Nestle the grapes in-between the chicken. Bake in the oven until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160-165°F (depending on the size of your chicken, this can be anywhere from 5-15 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes. Lightly sprinkle sumac over the chicken, and tear basil leaves overtop. Serve immediately.
Kommentarer