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Bon Appétit

Sheet-Pan Chicken With Grapes and Fennel

4.6

(11)

Roasted chicken thighs with fennel grapes olives croutons and dill on a sheet pan.
Photo by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht

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 crisp), then topped with a scattering of buttery, briney green olives and the 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.

Hangry waits for no one. Especially not test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin. In Speedy Does It, she’s sharing whoa-worthy dinners you can get on the table like *snaps fingers* that.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    50 minutes

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

½

loaf sourdough bread (about 10 oz.), torn into 2" pieces

½

cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2

tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

3

garlic cloves, finely grated

2½

tsp. smoked paprika

Freshly ground pepper

4

skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1½ 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

⅓

cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted, torn

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place racks in middle and upper third of oven; preheat to 425°. Place half of a loaf sourdough bread (about 10 oz.), torn into 2" pieces, on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; season with kosher salt. Toss until bread is coated and has absorbed all 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 3 garlic cloves, finely grated, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2½ tsp. smoked paprika, and 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl; season with freshly ground pepper. Add 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1½ lb.), patted dry, and turn to coat. Arrange thighs on another large rimmed baking sheet, spacing evenly apart; reserve bowl (do not rinse out).

    Step 3

    Combine 1 large fennel bulb, fronds reserved, cored, cut through root end into 1"-thick wedges, and 1 lb. seedless red grapes in reserved bowl. Drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil over and season with salt; toss to coat. Arrange fennel and grapes on baking sheet with chicken, filling in gaps. 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 to pour off any juices over reserved croutons. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar over croutons; toss to soak up liquid. Arrange croutons on baking sheet with chicken; pour any remaining juices back over croutons.

    Step 5

    Heat broiler. Transfer baking sheet 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 ¹⁄₃ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted, torn, and some reserved fennel fronds over.

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Reviews (11)

Back to TopTriangle

  • This is a dinner party recipe with weeknight preparation. Very attractive when plated and a delicious mix of flavors.

    • Rick Griffith

    • Nantucket

    • 6/7/2024

  • This was outstanding! Everyone loved the sweet grapes and sourdough croutons. But really, there was no weakest link in this combination. The colors and flavors were perfect. I made it exactly as directed, but doubled to accommodate a family and create some leftovers. It’s going in my favorite recipes collection.

    • Anonymous

    • Tennessee

    • 5/7/2024

  • This was a really delicious and unusual combination of flavors. It was luxurious with the high amount of olive oil. The combination of spices with the grapes and finish of wine vinegar (I used sherry vinegar) worked really well. I think the kind of grapes will matter as the juice from them contributes so much to the sauce. It was work, but definitely not more than most weeknight Bon Appetit recipes, even with making your own croutons, and the work felt modest in comparison to the payoff. I will say that one fennel bulb and a 1/4 lb. of grapes felt light as a vegetable, so a side vegetable dish might be a good complement for it, but overall, this is a winner that will go into rotation when I want something that feels special for a weeknight, or as the main when having guests over. It will certainly impress.

    • Chef Johnny

    • California

    • 4/12/2024

  • Made just as directed (except doubling it.) Absolutely delicious.

    • Anonymous

    • Silver Spring

    • 4/6/2024