Sheet-Pan Chicken With Grapes and Fennel

Sheet-Pan Chicken With Grapes and Fennel

By KENDRA VACULIN
Total time 50 minutes
Serves 4

Fennel and grapes are a classic pairing, lending any dish where they
appear together a vaguely Tuscan air. Here they are roasted alongside
bone-in chicken thighs until tender and juicy (and the seasoned
chicken skin is nicely browned), then topped with a scattering of
buttery, briny green olives and feathery fennel fronds. Torn pieces of
crisped-up sourdough are the best part of this sheet-pan dinner.
When soaked in a mixture of smoky chicken and burst grape juices,
the big, flavorful croutons will be the first to disappear.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

1⁄3 cup Bono Castelvetrano Pitted Sicilian
Green Olives, torn

1⁄2 loaf sourdough bread (about 10 oz.),
torn into 2" pieces
1⁄2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive
oil, divided
2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 11⁄4 tsp.
Morton kosher salt, plus more
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
21⁄2 tsp. smoked paprika
Freshly ground pepper

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
(about 11⁄2 lb.), patted dry
1 large fennel bulb, fronds reserved,
cored, cut through root end into
1"-thick wedges
1 lb. seedless red grapes
2 Tbsp. Champagne vinegar or white
wine vinegar

Preparation

STEP 1

Place racks in middle and upper third of
oven; preheat to 425°. Place bread on
a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle
1⁄4 cup oil over; season with salt. Toss
until bread is coated and has absorbed
all of the oil. Spread out in an even
layer and bake on middle rack, tossing
halfway through, until golden brown
and crisp, 12–15 minutes. Set croutons
aside; keep oven on.

STEP 2

Meanwhile, whisk together garlic,
paprika, 1⁄4 cup oil, and 2 tsp. Diamond
Crystal or 11⁄4 tsp. Morton kosher salt
in a medium bowl; season with pepper.
Add chicken thighs and turn to coat.
Arrange on another large rimmed baking
sheet, spacing evenly apart; reserve
bowl (do not rinse out).

STEP 3

Combine fennel bulb and grapes in
reserved bowl. Drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp.
oil over and season with salt; toss to coat.
Arrange fennel and grapes on baking
sheet with chicken, filling in gaps around
chicken. Roast on middle rack until grapes are slightly softened and chicken
is cooked through (an instant-read
thermometer inserted into the thickest
part of a thigh without touching the
bone should register 165°), 25–35 minutes,
depending on size.

STEP 4

Carefully tilt baking sheet with chicken
to pour off any juices over reserved
croutons. Drizzle vinegar over croutons
and toss to soak up liquid. Arrange
croutons on baking sheet with chicken,
then pour any remaining juices left
on baking sheet back over croutons.

STEP 5

Heat broiler. Transfer baking sheet with
chicken mixture to upper rack and broil
until chicken skin is browned and crisp
and edges of fennel and croutons are
dark brown, 1–2 minutes. Remove from
oven and scatter olives and reserved
fennel fronds over.

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