Recipe Week Day 4: Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Roasted Grapes

If the next food blogger on our roster for recipe week favorites looks familiar, it is because we have featured the lovely Meredith from In Sock Money Slippers before! Remember her delish yogurt pops?! We hope you enjoy this recipe for roasted chicken that Meredith shared with us.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Roasted Grapes serves 4 to 6

In Sock Monkey Slippers by Meredith Steele

• 3.5 to 4 pound chicken, I use pasture-raised fryer chickens
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 pounds red seedless grapes
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 to 3 fresh rosemary sprigs

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a bowl, combine butter, rosemary, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir until well incorporated. Using your fingers, place half of the butter rosemary mixture in between the skin and meat around the breasts and thighs. Rub the remaining butter evenly over the entire chicken. Place rosemary sprigs inside the cavity along with a handful of grapes. Truss the chicken with cooking twine. If you don’t want to truss the chicken just tie the legs together with twine or don’t worry about it at all! The chicken is still going to cook- it’s not going to run off, it just helps everything stay compacted. Place the chicken in the middle of a roasting pan or cast iron skillet.

2. In a bowl, combine grapes, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to combine. No need to separate the grapes from the stem. Along with a beautiful presentation it helps keep most of the grapes from bursting. Place the grapes around the chicken. If you have a large roasting pan, keeping the grapes gathered around the chicken will decrease the chances of the grapes from burning.

3. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until the meat is cooked, juices are no longer pink, and internal temperature is 165°F.

4. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carving. Carve and serve. Some of the grapes will stay intact while the others will burst and create a fabulous sauce with the pan juices. Spoon this over each serving.