This has to be one of my favorite chicken dishes ever! Chef Michael Chiarello inspired me to make this recipe. Tuscan Chicken In A Concord Grape Reduction With Sweet Figs sounds like it would be a really hard dish to make, but the opposite is true.

There are a few steps that need to be followed. I would have liked to have been able to use fresh figs as he did, but they weren’t in season at the time. Instead, I used dried figs and reconstituted them.

I’m starting with the spice rub for the chicken.

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Equipment: 1 (12-inch) sautè pan, 1 (3-quart) saucepot, coffee/spice grinder, large deep-sided serving platter, chef’s knife, cutting board

Ingredients for the chicken:
4 boneless chicken breasts, with the skin on
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, ground
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
1 teaspoon of white pepper, freshly-ground
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Ingredients for reconstituting the dried figs:
4 cups organic apple juice
1 package of dried black Mission figs
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Ingredients for the Concord Grape Reduction With Sweet Figs:
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 shallots, finely-diced (substitute 1/2 a red onion)
2 heaping cups of dried black mission figs, reconstituted, stems removed and quartered, (if available, 2 pints of fresh black mission figs, stems removed, quartered)
2 cups of fresh Concord grape juice (6 pints of fresh Concord grapes), reserving 4 small clusters of Concord grapes
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/2 cup of chicken stock, unsalted
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
Garnish:
4 small clusters of the Concord grapes

Sides:
1 (10-ounce) package of arugula
1 pound fresh asparagus
Garnish:
Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved

Instructions:
For the chicken, have your butcher remove the bones but leave the skin intact.

Start by making the spice rub for the chicken. Take fennel and coriander seeds and place them in a spice grinder (a small coffee grinder used only for grinding spices). Transfer the ground fennel and coriander to a small bowl.  Next, add the ground white pepper to the bowl, and stir to combine. That’s the spice rub.

Season both sides of each chicken breast with a tablespoon of Kosher salt first. Next, sprinkle the spice rub on both sides as well as under the skin.

Once the chicken breasts are seasoned, start by reconstituting the figs in the poaching liquid.

In a saucepot, start with organic apple juice. Add the dried figs and granulated sugar. Give a quick stir, and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring the figs up to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. This allows the figs to reconstitute and plump up.

Using a slotted spoon, remove all the figs from the poaching liquid, transfer them to a bowl, and let them cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled, remove all the stems and cut the figs into quarters.

Important Step:
It’s a good idea to do this next step in advance if possible.
Place the Concord grapes in a large plastic zip-lock bag with your hands, then crush the grapes to release their juices. Once all the grapes are crushed,  place a large bowl underneath a fine-mesh sieve. Pour the grapes and their juice into the sieve, allowing the juices to fall into the bowl (I used my hands to crush any grapes I may have missed in the bag to release as much juice as possible). This process takes about 15 minutes and yields 2 cups of grape juice.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Start by dicing the shallots for the sauce.

In a large preheated sauté pan over medium-high heat, carefully add the olive oil. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Cook the chicken for 4 minutes per side. Transfer to the oven, cook for another 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, transfer it to a plate and cover with foil. Use the same sautèpan to make the grape reduction. Be Careful because the pan handle is very hot.

Over medium-high heat, add the finely minced shallots, kosher salt, and 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary to the chicken drippings still in the pan. Sautè until soft and translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the grape juice and chicken stock. Once the liquid comes up to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add quartered reconstituted figs.

Swirl the figs around in the grape reduction, letting them absorb the sauce’s intense grape flavor for another minute, then turn off the heat.

To Serve: Use a deep-sided serving platter and pour the grape reduction with figs on the bottom of the platter. Lay the pan-seared chicken on top. Spoon a little of the sauce and figs over the chicken.

I like to serve this dish with a simple arugula salad, dressed with Lemon Vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese shavings.  Alongside, Sautéed Lemon Pepper Asparagus and a garnish of concord grapes.

There you have it, my Tuscan Chicken In A Concord Grape Reduction with Sweet Figs.

Notes:
1) If fresh Concord grapes are not available, substitute 2 cups of organic Welch’s Concord grape juice.

2) The Kcal count is for only the Tuscan Chicken In A Concord Grape Reduction with Sweet Figs.

3) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2015/10/17/lemon-balsamic-and-cilantro-lime-vinaigrette/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2015/07/06/lemon-pepper-asparagus/