Dear readers,
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! This virus is taking a toll on us all. I’ve been feeling especially unmotivated lately. Something about online school feels not quite real? I don’t know but it is getting increasingly hard to focus being trapped at home.
I decided to cook something to get back in the spirit of nutrition and doing what I love.
This is a very easy recipe. But it’s pretty enough to impress your friends.
I came across this idea on Pinterest, but the recipes were all very complicated and time consuming. I don’t know about you but when I’m hungry, I don’t like to spend a ton of time prepping and cooking. So I came up with my own version, that takes just a few minutes of prep so you can get to eating as soon as possible.
I started by writing this recipe two ways, the first involved fresh shallots and garlic, while the second was minced garlic and onion powder. Then when I went to the grocery store in this scarce time of quarantine, they had almost no fresh produce. So I ended up using the recipe without the fresh ingredients.
I was able to get some beautiful grapes and rosemary, and I felt like that was enough to make this dish. It isn’t always about having the highest quality ingredients. Sometimes it’s about making what you can with what you have.
So for this recipe, I would say use whatever you have that is available. Don’t worry about perfection or following the directions exactly. No one ever really does that anyway, right?
You will definitely need grapes however, use whatever kind you like best. I would refrain from using those amazing cotton candy grapes though, they may not go very well with the savory chicken.
Grapes are a very underrated ingredient. They aren’t included in a ton of recipes, but they are in almost everyone’s kitchen and they get sweeter when cooked, so why not cook them?
This recipe is also the healthiest version that I have seen so far. I chose to use chicken tenderloins instead of thighs because they have less fat. I also used a mixture of avocado oil and olive oil instead of butter. This reduces the total fat content and the saturated fat. Saturated fat is linked to metabolic syndrome which causes diabetes heart disease and hyperlipidemia.
Obviously not all of my recipes are healthy. But I am a nutritional science major so every once in a while I like to add recipes that you could eat every day and not have to worry about weight gain or any other adverse health effects. Any chance to make a recipe healthier without sacrificing taste is a chance that I’ll take.
I also like to take every chance I can to make recipes that balance sweet and savory. It is a flavor profile that everyone can come to enjoy with the right ingredients. Using fresh herbs tends to help these unique flavor come together nicely.
Rosemary chicken with grapes
makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
– one bunch of grapes
– 4-6 chicken tenderloins
– fresh rosemary
– 4 small shallots or onion powder
-one clove of fresh garlic, minced garlic or garlic powder
-3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
1. heat oil in a medium sized pan. A cast iron pan is preferred but not required. Add 1-2 fresh rosemary stalks to the olive oil and heat on medium low.
2. if you have garlic and shallots, add them now.
3. wash and dry the grapes and then add them to the oil. You can pull the grapes apart or keep them on the branch.
4. once the grapes start to wrinkle, add the chicken and turn the heat up to medium. The grapes should start to make little juice bubbles that will add flavor to the chicken.
5. season the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. I also added a few drizzles of aged balsamic vinegar, but this is optional.
6. after the chicken has cooked for 8-10 minutes and is golden brown on the pan side, flip the chicken and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
7. if you left your grapes on the branch, you can flip those as well.
8. plate and garnish with leftover rosemary stalks, and you’re all done!
