Easy Recipes from The Pot Rack – October 2021

If this easy one pot dish could have a region to call it’s own, it would be the Rogue Valley. The flavors scream Autumn in Oregon and the presentation is just gorgeous… (and a tad quirky). I prefer this dish be made with dark meat (thighs and legs)… but you do you!

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds chicken (4 thighs and 4 legs)
  • 1 Tblsp butter
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 sliced red onion
  • 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves
  • 1/3 cup sherry vinegar
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock
  • 1 sprig rosemary cut in half (more for garnish)
  • 1 pound red seedless grapes on the stems (cut into little clusters)
  • 1 Tblsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Get out your favorite Dutch Oven and get it heating over medium high heat. Pat the chicken dry while you melt the butter. Brown chicken on both sides, a few pieces at a time. Move the browned pieces to a platter as you go and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lower the heat and add onion. Cook for a minute or two and then add garlic. Stir a couple more minutes until soft.

Stir in sherry vinegar, chicken stock and rosemary and heat to a simmer. Return chicken to the pot and baste with stock mixture. Place grape bunches in pot, cover and reduce heat to very low. Let cook 30 minutes. Chicken juices should run clear when thigh or leg is pierced with the tip of a knife.

Remove the chicken and grapes from the pot and arrange on a platter placing the grape clusters artfully around the chicken. Cover with a foil tent to keep warm. Heat pot on high, stir in balsamic vinegar and cook 2 to 3 minutes until sauce is somewhat reduced and thick. Check seasoning for salt and remove the rosemary. Spoon sauce over chicken and grapes. Add fresh sprigs of rosemary for garnish if you wish.

I love this dish served with creamy polenta and simple salad greens.

Beyond the Recipe—My idea of a great meal is something elegant and above all, EASY. As much as I love to cook, I get frustrated if a dish has too many ingredients. Over the years I’ve watched and learned from some of the world’s greatest chefs, and I’ve noticed something interesting… when in the privacy of their home kitchens, they practice a “less is best” form of gastronomy. Takeaway: buy the best ingredients you can afford but keep your food simple. This chicken and grape recipe is a lovely example.

Once the calendar turns to October, I start feeling all snuggly, and roasting something unctuous is top of mind and there is nothing like a good braise to kick-off the fall food season. To braise means to fry (food) lightly and then stew it slowly in a closed container. Lucky you! It’s time to pull out your favorite Dutch Oven. A quick sear of the chicken combined with the aromatics of onion, garlic and rosemary will surely get you going. And the fun really starts when you add the star ingredient… grapes. The grapes combined with sherry and balsamic vinegars turn this basic dish into something extraordinary in only about 30 minutes. Because the sauce created in this dish is somewhat sweet, consider balancing it with a salty salad of fresh greens, olives and anchovies. Delicious and easy… promise.

Feel free to email your thoughts or photos of your creations to erika@thepotrack.com and I will share them with our community @jvillepotrack on Facebook and Instagram! Let’s cook and grow with each other.