Interesting. This paleo Roasted Moroccan Spiced Grapes and Chicken recipe is very interesting indeed and delicious.
I wasn’t sure if I would like the taste of grapes and olives together but it worked quite well. Really, it did.
Here are the ingredients you’ll be needing … (olive oil and chicken not shown). I substituted the red pepper flakes for ground red pepper.
With the spices, you’ll be making a spice mixture. Here’s what it will look like when you combine everything.
Next you’ll need to cut up your vegetables, add them to a bowl along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt then mix it all together. It doesn’t look like a lot but I’m only cooking for two. Add more if you wish.
I like to have most things prepped before I start so I don’t go “oops, I forgot something” later on.
You’ll be needing 2 cookie sheets or  jelly rolls. The cookie sheets/jelly rolls will be put in the oven and left there while it’s preheating at 450° Fahrenheit.
Then you’ll be removing one of the cookie sheets from the oven and adding the vegetable mixture to it and putting that back into the oven for about 10 minutes.
While the veggies are in the oven, prepare your olive oil and grape mixture.
Next you’ll be preparing the chicken. After cleaning the bone-in skin-on chicken and patting them dry, coat them with the spice mixture.
Prepare a cast iron skillet (that’s what I like to use for browning meat) by adding a coating of olive oil on the bottom then preheating the skillet on medium. (What a boring picture, eh?)
Once the olive oil is hot, add the chicken pieces, skin side down so you can brown them and make them crispy. It shouldn’t take too long — 5 to 7 minutes. They should look like this …
Make sure you don’t forget to take out the veggies that are in the oven. Once that’s completed, add the pieces of chicken on top of the veggies and pop them back into the oven. You’ll be baking this for 15-25 minutes — check to make sure the juices run clear by poking the chicken with a sharp knife or a skewer (you can also use a meat thermometer).
Remember that second cookie sheet that’s still in the oven? Remove it and place your grape/olive mixture on it and bake it for 10 minutes or so until the mixture is soft.
Once everything is cooked through and removed from the oven, you’ll be adding part of the grape/olive mixture and part of the vegetables on the bottom of a plate then adding the chicken on top.
Ready to see the recipe?
Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced yellow onion
- 3 large carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- Â 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, cleaned
- 1 -2 cups seedless red grapes
- 1/4 cup pitted green olives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Place 2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans in the oven and preheat to 450° Fahrenheit.
- Combine the onion, carrots and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl then toss together.
- Once the cookie sheets are preheated, remove one and add the onion mixture on it along with 1/4 teaspoon salt and bake this for 10 minutes.
- Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and red pepper flakes in a small bowl to make the spice mixture.
- Sprinkle the chicken evenly with the spice mixture.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat then add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan to coat it.
- Add the spiced chicken to the skillet, skin side down, and cook until the skin is browned and crisp.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and add it to the vegetable mixture, skin side up, then bake at 450°for 15-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Combine the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, grapes, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the olives in a medium bowl and toss it to combine it together.
- Remove the 2nd cookie sheet from the oven and place the grape mixture on it and bake the grapes/olive mixture for about 10 minutes until the grapes are soft.
- To serve: Place part of the vegetable mixture and part of the grape mixture on a plate then top with 1 or 2 chicken thighs.
- Sprinkle with parsley if you wish.
I served this with guacamole (I had some very ripe avocados I had to use) along with a tomato basil salad.
