Roast Chicken Thighs with Grapes and Acorn Squash
If you haven’t roasted grapes before, I strongly urge you to try this recipe. I am not a huge fan of raw grapes - they were just never really my thing but by roasting them, you bring out all of these complex sweet and savory flavors that elevate whatever you are cooking them with. I like to pair them with something neutral like chicken, although they would be rally good with a pork loin as well. I had half an acorn squash leftover from making baby food so I threw that in there as well. The result is a deeply rich and hearty meal that comes together all in one dish.
Just one note about the recipe. I used whole grain mustard because I love love whole grain mustard. However using whole grain mustard made the recipe a little more finicky because the whole grain mustard seeds can burn when you cook them. If you don’t want to worry about that, just swap out the whole grain mustard for Dijon mustard. If you want to use the whole grain like I did, just make sure when you are browning the chicken to keep the heat on medium - that will help prevent them from burning.
Roast Chicken Thighs with Grapes and Acorn Squash
4 bone in skin on chicken thighs
2 Tbs. whole grain mustard or Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large leek, thinly sliced
1/2 acorn squash, cut into 1” wedges
1 cup red seedless grapes
Serve with quinoa or brown rice
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl toss the chicken thighs together with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and mustard. Allow chicken to marinate for about 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
Warm the remaining olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized saute pan. Brown the chicken thighs skin side down for about 4 to 6 minutes or until the skin gets golden brown. Set aside.
Carefully remove all but 2 Tbs. fat from the pan. Add the leek and saute for 30 seconds. Add the acorn squash wedges and toss until coated in the fat. Return the chicken thighs to the pan and roast for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the squash is fork tender. Carefully remove the pan and nestle in the grapes onto the chicken thighs and squash. Continue roasting for about 10 more minutes until the grapes begin to soften and the chicken reaches 165°F. internally on a meat thermometer.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve over a big bowl of quinoa or rice.