I had a roast chicken with grapes for the first time when I was working at Rustic Canyon. I think it was served with chicken jus, torn bread and arugula. At the time I had never seen fruit in a savory dish like that & it always stuck with me because I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was!
Here’s my recipe and method for the chicken
•1 whole chicken
•Kosher salt
•1 box unsalted or low-sodium chicken stock
•Bay Leaves
•Garlic
•Shallots
•Calabrian chili paste
•Cognac or Brandy to deglaze
•Parsley
•Chives
•Mint
•Lemon Juice + Zest
•Butter
•Grapes
So I start by deboning the chicken keeping the skin on the thighs and breasts (save the bones!), patting them dry with a paper towel and seasoning both sides with kosher salt. For extra crispy skin I like to leave the chicken uncovered in the fridge overnight (preferably 24hrs) to draw out moisture.
Optionally you can roast the chicken bones and add them to a pot with the stock and aromatics and low boil for 30 min for a stronger stock
In a cold pan lay the chicken skin side down with some weight on top and turn the stove on medium low heat. Let this cook until all the fat has rendered out and skin is deep golden brown and crispy
