Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes, Olives and Rosemary

Grapes and chicken came together in another era as chicken Veronique. Deb Perelman revisits this idea, adding olives in this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. So easy to make, too.

– Mia Stainsby

3 pounds ( 1 1/ 3 kg) chicken thighs, drumsticks, breasts with skin and bones Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon ( 15 mL) ground black pepper 1 tablespoon ( 15 mL) olive oil 1 cup ( 250 mL) seedless grapes 1 cup ( 250 mL) pitted kalamata olives 2 small shallots, thinly sliced ½ cup ( 125 mL) dry white wine ½ cup ( 125 mL) chicken broth 1 tablespoon ( 15 mL) finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat your oven to 450 F with the rack in the middle. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12- inch heavy skillet over medium- high heat until it shimmers. Working in two batches, brown the chicken, skin side down first and turning them over once, about five minutes per batch, until skin is bronzed. Move to a bowl when they are done.

Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up, and surround with 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 wine and chicken broth to the pan juices in the skillet. Bring liquid to a boil, scraping up any brown bits, until it has reduced by half, for two to three minutes.

Strain sauce, if desired, then pour it over the chicken. Garnish with rosemary.

Makes 4 servings