Chicken roasted with grapes

Cooked grapes go extremely well with chicken but the aniseed flavour of fennel adds a new dimension to the dish.  It makes an excellent main course and a delightful supper dish.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 45 Mins

Total Time: 1 Hr

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

2 bulbs            Fennel  - sliced thinly

8                    Chicken thighs         

2                    Bay leaves

4 sticks            Celery  - sliced        

300 gms          Grapes      

1 tsp               Fennel seeds           

1½ tbs            Thyme  - leaves       

1                    Onion  - red - thinly sliced       

½ tsp             Salt          

                      Pepper  - black, freshly ground 

3 tbs               Olive oil    

Method

Mix the chicken with the bay leaves, one tablespoon of the oil, half a teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper and then leave in a cool place for an hour.

Heat an oven to 220°C.

Transfer the chicken, skin-side up, to a baking dish and roast for 20 minutes.

Turn down the oven to 200°C and add the grapes and thyme to the dish.  Bake for a further 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

In a mixing bowl, toss the fennel or celery, fennel seeds and red onion with the remaining olive oil.

Add the fennel and onion mixture to the dish with the cooked chicken and grapes.  Place back in the oven for five minutes to soften the fennel and onions slightly.  Check the seasoning.

Serve immediately.

Wine recommendations

A lighter red or a heavier white.

Conventional

     Côte de Brouilly

Interesting

     Côtes de Gascogne rouge

     Côtes du Rhône blanc or rosé

     Mâcon