Blueberry Thyme Chicken

Another summer chicken dish that turned out lovely. Still on my baking chicken with fruits – the sauce that the blueberries, balsamic and red wine yield in this recipe is simply incredible. It’s jammy, fruity, savory and delicate. When it comes to wine (and I am certainly no connoisseur) I have found that I enjoy a good Malbec, Argentinian wine is unique and has wonderful flavor. It is robust and fruity – reminiscent of dark berries and paired perfectly in this recipe. I like to put a generous splash in the pan, as it nears the end of cooking so I get the full profile of the flavor. 

This recipe is best enjoyed with a french baguette and camembert. When the dish cools, the collagen from the roasted chicken emulsifies together with the sauce to create this jammy savory blueberry spread that tastes incredible with the creamy brie and crusty French bread. Be warned – this is incredibly tasty but it will stain your mouth dark blue! Worth it!

Blueberry Thyme Chicken

Rich, fruity, sweet and savory - this a truly special and unique chicken dish! The balsamic, Malbec wine, and dark fruit come together to create a divine au jus best enjoyed with a crusty French bread and cheese pairing.

Author: Olivier

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Prep Time 30 mins Cook Time 55 mins Rest Time 10 mins Total Time 1 hr 35 mins Cooking Temp: 400  F Best Season: Summer

Ingredients

Scale

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• 6 chicken quarters bone in skin on
• 8 pearl onions peeled
• 1 small finely chopped shallot
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (plus more for garnishing)
• 3 Tbsp raw honey
• ¹⁄₂ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¹⁄₄ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¹⁄₄ cup Malbec (or any other dark fruity wine)
• ¹⁄₂ Tbsp sea salt
• ¹⁄₄ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven

   Preheat the oven to 400°F

1. Prepare the marinade

   Remove the chicken quarters from the package and pat dry. Place in a large cast iron pan or roasting pan. Combine the honey, thyme, olive oil, balsamic, shallot, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk together until well combined.

1. Take aside enough of this marinade to coat the chicken in the pan. Add the blueberries and peeled pearl onions to the remaining marinade to ensure that it is well coated, then pour in and around the chicken in the pan. Push the onions and the blue berries in and around the chicken to ensure the chicken is exposed - you want the skin to get nice and crispy.

   

1. Set a timer for 45 minutes, and when ready, pull out the chicken and turn up the heat to 425 to really crisp up that skin. Add the generous splash of malbec to the pan and return to the oven to roast for five to ten more minutes.

1. Remove from oven

   Remove from oven and let sit for ten minutes. Plate the chicken and serve with the juices. 

   

Keywords: blueberry chicken, summer dinner ideas, chicken dinners, chicken dinner ideas