We Love Our Thighs
Chicken thighs that is. Chicken thighs are in regular rotation around here and this dish for Chicken Thighs with Grapes was a happy sweet and savory surprise.
We love chicken thighs for their juiciness, high quality protein and the fact that they cook up so easily. And our markets often offer family size packs, which make them economical as well. The challenge is bringing new flavors to dishes featuring the thighs.
And The French Love Grapes
This recipe for Chicken with Grapes, Thyme and Smoked Paprika takes advantage of the “new” trend of roasting grapes and using them in savory ways.
The reason I put the quotes around “new” is because while roasted grapes have only recently hit social media, they have been cooked this way for decades such as in cailles aux raisins, the very traditional French preparation of quail with grapes.
It is so traditional that most recipes you will find for it are in French.
Don’t Worry, We Aren’t Getting Fancy On You
This recipe is nothing like that classic, which often employs browned butter and cognac and the quail are presented on toasted brioche.
This Chicken with Grapes, Thyme and Smoked Paprika is a simple one-pan, oven-roasted meal that highlights the sweetness of the grapes, the smokiness of the paprika and the savory-ness of the chicken and thyme.
It comes together in less time than it takes for the oven to preheat and is easy enough for a weeknight but fancy enough for non-FODMAP guests.
We made the one pictured with seedless red grapes. If you can find Muscat grapes, try them as well. And if you haven’t figured it out by now, we think smoked paprika should be in your herbs and spices pantry.
Let’s Make Chicken Thighs with Grapes!
We think once you experience this dish that it will make it into regular rotation.
You might also be interested in our Chicken with Roasted Blueberries, Balsamic Vinegar & Sage and our Balsamic Chicken with Peaches & Rosemary.
Chicken Thighs with Grapes, Thyme and Smoked Paprika
This easy chicken thigh dish, Chicken with Grapes, Thyme and Smoked Paprika, features roasted grapes accented with savory thyme and smoked paprika. Elegant enough for non-FODMAP guests, you can put it together in less time than it takes for the oven to preheat.
Ingredients:
- 8 medium chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 3/4 pound (340 g) seedless grapes, preferably red or Muscat, removed from the stem
- 1 tablespoon Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil or purchased equivalent
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) dry red wine
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
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Position rack in hottest area of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C
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Place chicken in a large roasting pan; there should be space between the chicken pieces to allow for the grapes and even roasting. Scatter the grapes evenly around the pan. Drizzle oil over all. Pour red wine over all. Sprinkle evenly with thyme and paprika, then season well with salt and pepper.
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Roast for about 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken registers 165°F/74°C with an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part; take care not to touch bone. Allow to rest for 5 minutes for juices to redistribute and serve with your choice of starch. We love this dish with mashed potatoes or white rice. Don’t forget something green like a big green salad on the side or steamed broccoli or green beans.
Notes:
If You Can Tolerate
- Fructans: If you have passed the garlic Challenge, feel free eliminate the olive oil and simply scatter 1 to 2 minced garlic cloves over the chicken.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
CostCo and other grocery stores usually sell boneless/skinless thighs. If I cannot find skin on/bone in will this work just as well with boneless/skinless?
You can try them but the dish will change. The flavor will not be as complex and rich and the lack of texture from the crisp skin will be missing. Where do you live? Here in the northeast it is certainly easier to find skin on/bone in than skinless/boneless.
Very good and easy even though I forgot and used regular oil instead of garlic and regular paprika instead of smoked! I also used beef broth as I read that can be a suitable substitute. I’d like to try again and do it properly.
Hi Craig, not sure what the beef broth was substituting, but thank you for writing and sharing your experience. Do try it again as written and let us know how that goes.
It was just okay. The main thing is that the skin stayed a bit fatty and chewy, even though the chicken was cooked. There wasn’t enough flavor for me. It could have used more liquid. I really enjoy all your recipes, but this one is a miss, IMO.
Something is amiss! As you can see in the images we get great browning. I would first check your oven temp with a separate thermometer. It might be off, which is not unusual. Also, what kind of pan did you use? This can alter results greatly. Different constructions have different levels of heat conductivity. All of that is addressing the lack of crisping. In terms of wanting more liquid, I have never made this dish where I didn’t need to and want to do the reduction step, due to the plethora of juicy sauce. So, something is going on. If your oven is low, and/or you didn’t use the pan we suggest, the dish might have cooked more gently. The chicken would be pale and the liquid could evaporate.