I am about to blow your mind with one of the easiest dinner recipes you will ever make; it’s rustic yet elegant and it tastes like you slaved over it, although it’s oven to plate in about 45 minutes (maybe 60 minutes if you’re clumsy in the kitchen). I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now, and was actually the first time I had ever eaten chicken thighs. The recipe changed my views on this particular cut of the chicken because it really is way more flavourful the normal standby chicken breasts, not to mention quicker cook times and also budget friendly. If you’re not a fan of thighs, please try this and let me know if it’s changed your opinion.
Roasted Grape and Chicken Salad with Herb Vinaigrette
Ingredients (serves 4):
Chicken
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
1 red onion, sliced lengthwise
2 cups red seedless grapes
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat
Salt & pepper to taste
1 sprig of rosemary (whack it with the back of a big knife, do not chop it)
Leaves from 3-4 stems of fresh thyme
1 container of Arugula/Spinach mix (or your favourite salad mix)
1 – 140g log of fig goat cheese
Herb Vinaigrette
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp liquid honey
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 375C and cover a cookie sheet with tin foil. Arrange the chicken thighs, red onion, grapes on the cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper (I never measure this, but just trust yourself). Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and chuck that rosemary stem in with the mix. Using your hands or tongs, mix all of this up on the sheet until evenly coated; you may want to rearrange the ingredients again for even cooking. Throw into the oven and set your timer for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, mix all ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside. Quick little side note for those who don’t really have fresh herbs on hand all the time, almost all the produce sections in the local grocery stores sell a package of mixed herbs called “Poultry Blend” and then a person isn’t stuck with 3 or 4 packages of herbs that will go to waste after cooking the one meal…
Once 30 minutes is up, remove from the oven and in a separate bowl, shred the chicken thighs with a couple of forks and return back to the sheet. Increase the oven temperature to Broil and cook for an additional 5 minutes, watching carefully that it doesn’t burn… I only do this because I like a bit of char on the onions and some extra caramelization on the sticky sweet grapes.
Remove from oven, let rest for about 5 minutes… meanwhile plate the arugula mix and then drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with the chicken mixture and little clumps of the goat cheese and serve!
Shannon Yacyshyn’s Kitchen Confessions column appears every other Thursday in the Red Deer Advocate.