Chicken, Grape and Radicchio Tray Bake

by Alice Zaslavsky, featured in Weeknights With Alice

Published by Murdoch Books

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Introduction

If you’re a fan of what a dash of wine can do for a dish, then it’s time to cut out the middle man and try roasting grapes! When roasted on high, grapes are rendered surprisingly meaty, mixing with the schmaltzy skin-on chicken fat here to yield a rich garnet gravy, perfectly mopped up by spongy, crusty croutons.

If you can’t find bone-in chicken thighs, chop marylands (leg quarters) into drumsticks and thighs, or get your butcher to chop them for you. For the best crispy-skinned result, let your chicken thighs dry out, skin side up, uncovered in the fridge overnight, then pull them out at least half an hour before cooking to take the fridge chill off.

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

Weeknights With Alice

Image of Alice Zaslavsky's Chicken, Grape and Radicchio Tray Bake — Photo by Rochelle Eagle

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Metric U.S.

For the traybake

1 kilogram bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (patted dry)
1 medium radicchio
60 millilitres extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion (cut into wedges)
1 whole bulb of garlic (cut in half)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
400 grams seedless red grapes (pulled off the vine)
1½ teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
½ teaspoon salt flakes
½ sourdough baguette (torn into 3cm/ 1¼ in chunks)

To serve

PG paste - see below (optional but excellent!)
radicchio leaves (reserved from above)

For the PG paste

about 100 grams fresh parsley (leaves and stems roughly chopped)
40 grams garlic - about 10 garlic cloves (peeled)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
250 millilitres olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

For the traybake

2 pounds 4 ounces bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (patted dry)
1 medium radicchio
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion (cut into wedges)
1 whole bulb of garlic (cut in half)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
14 ounces seedless red grapes (pulled off the vine)
1½ teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
½ teaspoon salt flakes
½ sourdough baguette (torn into 3cm/ 1¼ in chunks)

To serve

PG paste - see below (optional but excellent!)
radicchio leaves (reserved from above)

For the PG paste

about 3½ ounces fresh parsley (leaves and stems roughly chopped)
1½ ounces garlic - about 10 garlic cloves (peeled)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Method

Chicken, Grape and Radicchio Tray Bake is a guest recipe by Alice Zaslavsky so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

FOR THE TRAY BAKE

Oven goes on → Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F).
Chicken comes out → While the oven is preheating, pull the chicken out of the fridge.
Prep the tray → Trim the base of the radicchio. Shred one or two of the outer leaves and set aside for serving. Slice the radicchio into eight wedges and toss into your largest mixing bowl. Pour in the olive oil, then tumble in the onion wedges, garlic bulb halves, thyme sprigs, grapes, paprika and salt, tossing about to coat.
Tip the mixture into a large deep baking dish (cast iron is great!), arranging the veg like a trivet. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt flakes into the schmutzy bowl, then toss the chicken thighs in, swirling about to coat in the remaining oil and spices. Place the chicken thighs, skin side up, on top of the veg.
Into the oven → Roast for 40–45 minutes, until the grapes are blistered, the chicken skin is browned and the juices are running clear.
Crunchy bits → At the 30-minute mark, spread the sourdough chunks on a baking tray and bake underneath the chicken tray for 10 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.
Bring it home → Once the chicken is cooked through, pull the garlic halves and thyme sprigs out of the pan. Squeeze the garlic flesh back in, then smush it into the pan juices. Toss the crunchy sourdough croutons through the mix, encouraging it underneath the thighs to soak up the purple-tinged schmaltz.
Blob on some PG paste, if using, and snuggle the reserved shredded radicchio around the place too, for refreshingly bitter pops of purple; some more fresh salad leaves on the side never hurt. Finish with some more salt flakes and a fresh crack of pepper from a height.

FOR THE PG PASTE

Using a food processor or blender, blitz all the ingredients together until a fine paste forms, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Use right away, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or pop into ice cube trays and freeze to use over 3-6 months.

FOR THE TRAY BAKE

Oven goes on → Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F).
Chicken comes out → While the oven is preheating, pull the chicken out of the fridge.
Prep the tray → Trim the base of the radicchio. Shred one or two of the outer leaves and set aside for serving. Slice the radicchio into eight wedges and toss into your largest mixing bowl. Pour in the olive oil, then tumble in the onion wedges, garlic bulb halves, thyme sprigs, grapes, paprika and salt, tossing about to coat.
Tip the mixture into a large deep baking dish (cast iron is great!), arranging the veg like a trivet. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt flakes into the schmutzy bowl, then toss the chicken thighs in, swirling about to coat in the remaining oil and spices. Place the chicken thighs, skin side up, on top of the veg.
Into the oven → Roast for 40–45 minutes, until the grapes are blistered, the chicken skin is browned and the juices are running clear.
Crunchy bits → At the 30-minute mark, spread the sourdough chunks on a baking tray and bake underneath the chicken tray for 10 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.
Bring it home → Once the chicken is cooked through, pull the garlic halves and thyme sprigs out of the pan. Squeeze the garlic flesh back in, then smush it into the pan juices. Toss the crunchy sourdough croutons through the mix, encouraging it underneath the thighs to soak up the purple-tinged schmaltz.
Blob on some PG paste, if using, and snuggle the reserved shredded radicchio around the place too, for refreshingly bitter pops of purple; some more fresh salad leaves on the side never hurt. Finish with some more salt flakes and a fresh crack of pepper from a height.

FOR THE PG PASTE

Using a food processor or blender, blitz all the ingredients together until a fine paste forms, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Use right away, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or pop into ice cube trays and freeze to use over 3-6 months.