chicken in white wine sauce with grapes and rosemary

Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Grapes and Rosemary

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When the first grapes on grapevines turn red or blue, this is the first recipe I think of: a beautiful, juicy, and tender chicken in white wine sauce with grapes and fresh rosemary. Served with creamy polenta or mashed potatoes, this dish is a dream come true for every foodie who loves interesting flavor combinations!
chicken in white wine sauce with grapes and rosemary

I came across the inspiration for this recipe quite by accident.

A few years ago, when I just started writing my blog and running an IG profile, in an exchange of recipes with food bloggers from other parts of the world, I was given the task to try a recipe called Vineyard Chicken. We got this recipe from Laurie Vengoechea: I still remember how thrilled I was with this dish when I first tried it! Laurie said it was a recipe that was often prepared in her family and that she found it in an old French cookbook.

Unfortunately, I never found out the name of the cookbook, and Laurie, meanwhile, apparently deactivated her Instagram profile because I was no longer able to find her under the same name. Therefore, dear Laurie, if by any chance you ever read this post, thank you for the inspiration!

However, I am left with a recipe that I’ve adapted to my own taste and liking over time, and that’s one of the many reasons I love about being a food blogger – each recipe is more than a set of instructions for preparing a meal – it’s also a memory of a person, some event, trip or tradition.

Now, originally, this recipe called for butterflying the chicken and adding butter and walnuts to the sauce.

ingredients for making chicken in white wine sauce with rosemary and grapes

Butterfly chicken, as interesting as it may seem, to me, is somehow more practical for roasting in the oven with some good dry rub, so I decided to omit that technique for this recipe and use chicken drumstick and thighs instead. You could also add some chicken wings too!

But definitely, the most exciting thing about this recipe is THE SAUCE.

The combination of rosemary, which has this specific woody aroma, semi-sweet white wine, and grapes makes a really delicious, almost umami-like flavor. I noticed that the walnuts didn’t add anything special to the dish itself, and since the sauce needs to be strained at some point, I honestly hated the fact that they end up being wasted in the trash.

(and believe me, cooked walnuts are not so interesting to eat either)

The sauce needs to be finished with some cooking cream, but if you don’t prefer its taste, you could use heavy cream instead. Also, for this chicken in white wine sauce, you’ll need seedless grapes, unless you don’t mind eating grapes with seeds in this meal.

And that’s it, my friends!

Now you only have to choose some side dish that will complement this roasted chicken with grapes and rosemary perfectly.

seasoning chicken drumsticks with some cayenne pepper

What to Serve With Chicken in White Wine Sauce, Grapes, and Rosemary

This chicken with grapes and rosemary will go well with most side dishes, but since the sauce itself is very rich, I suggest making your side dish as simple as possible.

Here are some of my suggestions:

  • Creamy white or yellow polenta
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Wide noodles
  • Crispy, roasted potatoes from the oven
  • Steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots…)

How to Keep Rosemary Fresh For a Long Time

In our family garden, we have a really big rosemary bush that has been with us for many years. Every time I travel back to Zagreb, where I currently live, I bring with me a few of those fresh rosemary sprigs. I like to dry them and use them in dry herb mixtures like Herbes de Provence or use it fresh in recipes like this one.

Fresh rosemary, if stored properly, can stay this way for quite a long time. Here are some steps you can make to always have fresh rosemary for your recipes:

  1. Remove the lower leaves from each rosemary sprig.
  2. In a clean, narrow glass, add some water and put the rosemary in the glass. It should be immersed in the water for about 2 cm (little less than 1 inch), not more. Store this glass in the refrigerator doors and change the water every 2 days.
  3. This way, with the consistent change of water, your rosemary can last up to 2 weeks!
chicken in white wine sauce with grapes and rosemary

More savory recipes to try:

If you try this chicken recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram or send me photos of it! If you have any questions, feel free to pop in my DMs on social media or send me an e-mail! For more video recipes, be sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel!

Cook with love,

 

chicken in white wine sauce with grapes and rosemary

Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Grapes and Rosemary

Mateja Zvirotic Andrijanic
When the first grapes on grapevines turn red or blue, this is the first recipe I think of: a beautiful, juicy, and tender chicken in white wine sauce with grapes and fresh rosemary. Served with creamy polenta or mashed potatoes, this dish is a dream come true for every foodie who loves interesting flavor combinations!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Servings 4 portions
Calories 723 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1,2 kg chicken drumsticks and thigh
  • sea salt
  • 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 250 ml chicken stock (hot)
  • 100 ml semi-sweet white wine
  • 2 shallots
  • 3-4 sprigs rosemary (fresh, if possible)
  • 200 g seedless grapes
  • 120 ml cooking cream

Instructions
 

  • Season the chicken with salt, ground pepper, and cayenne pepper.
  • In a pan with a thicker bottom heat the olive oil, then add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 7-8 minutes, until the skin becomes crispy and deep golden.
  • Then pour hot chicken stock into the pan, add white wine, half the grapes, rosemary sprigs, and thinly sliced shallots. Cover with the lid and cook on medium heat for about 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the chicken.
  • When the chicken became soft and tender, take it out and put it in a bowl, and cover it so it stays warm while you finish the sauce. Pour the remaining liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and return back to the pan.
  • Turn up the heat and cook until the sauce gets reduced by half. Toward the end of the cooking add the rest of the grapes and cooking cream. Stir, try if you need more salt or pepper, and return the chicken back to the pan to combine with the sauce.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, or any other side dish of your choice.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 723kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 41gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 246mgPotassium: 645mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 872IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 3mg

Comments

3 responses to “Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Grapes and Rosemary”

  1. Jason Crook Avatar
    Jason Crook

    This is a classic dish, with many variations, from southern France right to the Eastern Mediterranean. This is a good version and recommend. Keep up the good work

  2. Abigail Avatar
    Abigail

    Delicious. I made these exactly as written and they were so good! Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing recipe.

    1. Mateja Avatar
      Mateja

      Thank you so much for your feedback!

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