Roasted Chicken Thighs with Grapes and Fennel

October 2025

Recipe from Cook's Country, October 2021, available online.

I maintain a list of recipes that I might like to try. It's a pretty long list. This chicken recipe was on the list and it had many appealing features: dark chicken meat, interesting accompaniment, and relatively easy to prepare. I don't remember where I learned about this recipe but I gave it a go. The recipe is for eight bone-in chicken thighs, but I halved it and prepared four thighs (2.2 pounds) which should make two dinners for the two of us. 

Melted butter, dried thyme, and minced garlic were combined in a small bowl. A fennel bulb was cored, sliced thin crosswise, and tossed with some of the butter mixture, salt, and pepper then spread on a quarter sheet pan. Red seedless grapes were tossed with more of the butter mixture and also spread on the sheet pan. These were roasted until the fennel began to soften. While the fennel and grapes cooked the chicken was seasoned with salt and pepper and browned, skin side down, in a skillet. Space was made on the sheet pan for the chicken which was placed skin side ups and brushed with the remaining butter mixture. The chicken was roasted in a 450° oven to a temperature of 175°. The chicken, grapes, and fennel were sprinkled with chopped fennel fronds and served. Prep time for this recipe was 20 minutes, total time 70 minutes.

We enjoyed our two dinners with this recipe. The chicken was very good and easy to prepare. The grapes added a nice sweetness. The fennel wasn't very flavorful itself, perhaps it was overcooked. There are many additional Test Kitchen recipes for roasted chicken thighs, I should try some others in addition to making this one again.