Bacon-wrapped Chicken Breasts in Grape Sauce
Autumn is on its way, and with it, the joyful grape harvest season – or “La Saison des Vendanges” as we call it in French. Running all throughout the end of August until November in France, grape harvest season is a celebratory time of the year that sees a frenzy of activity in French vineyards. Ripe grapes are harvested, and wine makers can finally measure the quality and quantity of their crops. Parallely, this season also sees fresh grapes making their way into French kitchens and in our seasonal recipes.…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts (200-250g each)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 8 slices bacon
- 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- For the Grapes:
- 600g grapes (white, red or a mix of both)¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp (15ml) red wine vinegar
- ½ lemon, zested and juiced
- For the Sauce:
- 1 tbsp (14.5g) unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp (15ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ onion, peeled and diced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp (18ml) honey
- 1 sage leave, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp (29g) Crème Fraiche (35-40%MF)
Instructions
- 1
Make sure you read my cooking notes before you start.
- 2
2 to 3 hours before starting cooking, salt rub the chicken breasts on both sides. Sprinkle with black pepper and nutmeg, and leave on the counter.
- 3
When ready, pre-heat your oven to 375°F/190°C (or 360°F/185°F for a convection oven).
- 4
Rinse the grapes thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towel. Cut about two thirds of the grapes in half, leaving a third of them whole. Transfer the grapes into a bowl, add salt, black pepper, vinegar, lemon juice and zest. Stir to coat the grapes evenly and set aside for about 30 minutes.
- 5
Wrap the chicken breasts with two slices of bacon each, tucking the ends underneath and slipping a sprig of fresh rosemary in-between. Set a cooling rack in a rimmed baking sheet and transfer the chicken breasts with the bacon to the rack. Top each chicken breast with 2-3 dots of butter. Bake the chicken breasts for 30 minutes (or 25 minutes in a convection oven). If you have a meat thermometer, the chicken breasts should reach an inside temperature of 165°F/74°C. Set the chicken breasts aside, covered with foil.
- 6
In a large frying pan (no lid needed) over medium-heat, melt the butter with the EVOO. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion is lightly caramelized. Add the grapes, honey and sage and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened (some grapes might blister and/or burst). Stir in the crème fraiche and cook for 5 minutes. Nestle the chicken breasts in the pan, and cook for 5 more minutes.
- 7
Serve immediately, with white rice and/or French beans in butter.