Drunken Chicken with Muscadine Grapes

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken (4 ½ – 5 pounds), cut into 10 serving pieces
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 cups thinly sliced Vidalia onion
  • 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup white wine (muscadine or other)
  • 3 cups Muscadine grapes, halved and seeded (along with any skins that slip off)
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (leaves and tender stems)

Directions

  1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels: season with the salt and pepper.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat; working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on all sides and transfer them to a platter; discard all but 1 tablespoon of the oil left in the pan.
  3. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
  4. Add the garlic, mustard, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant.
  5. Add the wine and deglaze by scraping the bottom of the pan; bring to a boil.
  6. Return the chicken and all of the juices that have collected on the bottom of the platter to the pan.
  7. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  8. Add the grapes and skins and stir well; cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork.
  9. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper.
  10. Transfer the stew to a serving platter and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Source: Cooking with Muscadine Grapes, Tammy Kelly, Lenoir County Cooperative Extension; Originally from Edible Piedmont .