This roast chicken salad with grapes and sweet wine vinaigrette pairs succulent roast chicken with bitter greens, sharp cheese and sweet grapes for a Dracula-inspired recipe! For another warm chicken salad check out our tarragon vermouth roast chicken and smashed potato salad, or explore more gothic literary recipes such as our maple roasted acorn squash with cranberry sauce from our Frankenstein feast.
At a Glance: Roast Chicken with Grapes and Sweet Wine Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Brining Time: 1 or up to overnight
- Roasting Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: ~2 hours or up to overnight
- Servings: 4
- Flavour: Sweet and savoury, tangy and nutty
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Why this Works: Juicy chicken breasts are roasted on the bone and served with a Tokaji wine and pan dripping vinaigrette alongside roasted grapes, kale, and toasted walnuts.
Dracula, the Feast
Bram Stoker's Dracula takes us on a gothic journey like no other. The dark and dangerous figure, Count Dracula, ominously lurks in shadowed castles and slips quietly into candlelit bedrooms, revealing the fears and terrors of the story's central characters. To honour this gothic masterpiece, we are following the story through food, starting with a fateful journey into the Carpathian Mountains, terrifying encounters at the misty sea cliffs of Whitby, the drawing rooms of Victorian London, and the final dangerous race back to Transylvania. Each recipe draws on the places and people at the heart of the novel, echoing the themes of light and darkness, innocence and seduction, superstition and science, life and death. We invite you to sink your teeth into these recipes one at a time, at a Halloween gathering, or at your next book club!
Dinner at Castle Dracula
After a frightening carriage ride through the mountains Jonathan Harker arrives at Castle Dracula. Tired and hungry, Harker is pleasantly surprised to be warmly greeted by the Count and invited to dine with him. His enjoyment of the roast chicken dinner complete with two glasses of Tokay, or Tokaji, wine is likely what caused him to overlook Dracula's unsettling refusal to dine with him.
This roasted chicken salad brings all the elements of that meal into a delicious entrée salad. Chicken is roasted on the bone until juicy and golden brown and served alongside a kale and radicchio salad. Sweet Tokaji wine is reduced and then added to a savoury pan dripping vinaigrette before tossing with the greens. Shaved sharp cheese and toasted nuts complete the dish as you are transported to that fateful night when Jonathan Harker first meets Count Dracula.
If you're looking for more delicious entrée salad ideas then check out our roasted chicken salad with winter greens or our crispy chicken caesar salad.
Ingredients for Roast Chicken Salad with Grapes and Sweet Wine Vinaigrette
Chicken breasts: Use bone-in skin-on chicken breasts for this recipe to capture the flavour of roasted whole chicken. The chicken is dry brined with kosher salt for a minimum of 1 hour before roasting which results in extremely tender and flavourful meat.
Tokaji wine: This Hungarian wine is named for the region where it is produced. There are two styles of Tokaji wine, a dry version and a sweeter version, also called Aszu. This recipe uses the sweet version. The sweet wine is made using grapes affected by noble rot which is a fungus called botrytis cinerea. The botrytis changes the appearance and flavour of the affected grapes resulting in wine that is sweet with a smooth and complex flavour. If you can't find this particular wine, then you could substitute with another sweet dessert wine such as Sauternes, a botrytis affected wine from France. To make this recipe non-alcoholic you can substitute with white grape juice.
Kale: I prefer using dinosaur (lacinato) kale in salads if possible. The dark green, bumpy leaves are more tender than other types of kale which is perfect for cold preparations such as salads.
Radicchio: This bitter leafy vegetable has a striking burgundy and white appearance and is delicious when added to a salad. The bitterness of the radicchio helps cut through the richness of the chicken and the pan gravy vinaigrette.
Cheese: While finding a local (Eastern European) cheese might not always be possible depending on your location, I recommend using a sharp sheep's milk cheese, such as Manchego or Pecorino to balance the rich and slightly sweet flavours of the salad.
Walnuts: I like to toast the walnuts briefly in the oven before chopping. To make it simple, I place the baking sheet of walnuts in the oven while it is preheating. When the oven gets up to temperature the walnuts will most likely be done.
How to make the Roast Chicken Salad with Grapes and Sweet Wine Vinaigrette
1. Salt the chicken
This might sound like an unnecessary step, but I encourage you to try it. In what amounts to basically a dry brine, salting ahead of time will render extremely juicy, tender, and downright flavourful chicken. Pat the chicken dry. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt all over the surface of the chicken, even on the back. Place the chicken breasts on a plate and cover. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to overnight. (For a whole roast chicken recipe that uses this dry brining technique, try our Honey Lavender Roast Chicken).
Remove the chicken breasts from the fridge a half-hour before you intend to roast them. Remove any covering and pat the chicken dry. Allow to come up to room temperature uncovered to allow the skin to dry off.
2. Toast the nuts
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and place in the oven while it's preheating. Check the walnuts when the oven reaches temperature. Remove if toasted or allow to roast another few minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool before chopping.
3. Roast the chicken
Line a baking sheet or roasting pan with a rack. Generously drizzle the backs of each breast with olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. Repeat on the skin side with more olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Place the chicken skin side up on the baking sheet and roast for 45 to 50 minutes or until fully cooked. The chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clear when the breast is pierced.
When done, transfer the chicken to a platter and tent with foil. Pour the drippings into a measuring cup making sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the drippings. Add olive oil to the measuring cup if needed to make ⅓ cup total.
4. Roast the grapes
Cut the grapes into several large clusters and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with oil and season with kosher salt. Begin roasting the grapes after the chicken has been in the oven for about 20 minutes. The grapes are done when they are opened and begin to soften.
5. Make the vinaigrette
Add the Tokaji wine to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow the wine to reduce down to about two tablespoons. This should take about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
In a small bowl combine the sherry wine vinegar, reduced Tokaji wine, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and pepper and whisk together. Slowly drizzle the pan drippings into the vinegar mixture, whisking constantly to emulsify the dressing.
6. Make the salad
Peel the outer leaves off the radicchio and cut into wedges. Remove the core and roughly chop. Set the radicchio aside. Remove the stalks from the kale and roughly chop the leaves and add to a large bowl.
When ready to serve, drizzle about ⅓ of the vinaigrette over the kale. Use your hands to massage, or squeeze, the kale. This will help tenderize the kale. Add the radicchio along with the walnuts and cheese. Pour over another ⅓ of the vinaigrette and toss together.
6. Serve the Roast Chicken Salad with Grapes and Sweet Wine Vinaigrette
Use a sharp knife to remove the breasts from the back bone and cut into thick slices. Top each plate with a serving of the salad. Arrange the grapes and chicken breast slices alongside the salad. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the chicken. Serve with a glass of the chilled Tokaji wine and enjoy!
For more Dracula recipes, try our Robber Steak with Garlic and Paprika Cream or our Plum Brandy Cherry Sour.
More Gothic Literary Recipes
- Wine Braised Beef with Bacon
- Oatcakes
- Spiced Wine Poached Pears
- Gunpowder Fig and Rosemary Cocktail
- Split Pea Soup
- Beef and Ale Stew with Suet Dumplings
Roast Chicken Salad with Grapes and Sweet Wine Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts bone in, skin on
- kosher salt and pepper as needed
- olive oil as needed
- 1 cup walnut halves or ½ cup chopped
- 1 small bunch red grapes
- 1 small head radicchio about 2 cups chopped
- 1 bunch dinosaur, or lacinato, kale about 4 cups chopped
- ½ cup shaved sheep's milk cheese such as Manchego or Pecorino
Sweet Wine Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup Tokaji wine *see note
- 2 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅓ cup reserved pan drippings
Instructions
- If desired, dry brine the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt all over the surface of the chicken, even on the back. Place the chicken breasts on a plate and cover. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the fridge a half-hour before you intend to roast them. Remove any covering and pat the chicken dry. Allow to come up to room temperature uncovered to allow the skin to dry off.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and place in the oven while it's preheating. Check the walnuts when the oven reaches temperature. Remove if toasted or allow to roast another few minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool before chopping.
- Line a baking sheet or roasting pan with a rack. Generously drizzle the backs of each breast with olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. Repeat on the skin side with more olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Place the chicken skin side up on the baking sheet and roast for 45 to 50 minutes or until fully cooked. The chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clear when the breast is pierced.
- Cut the grapes into several large clusters and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with oil and season with kosher salt. Begin roasting the grapes after the chicken has been in the oven for about 20 minutes. The grapes are done when they are opened and begin to soften.
- When the chicken is fully cooked transfer the breasts to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Pour the pan drippings into a measuring cup making sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the drippings. If needed, add olive oil to the measuring cup to make ⅓ cup total.
- To make the vinaigrette, add the Tokaji wine to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow the wine to reduce to about two tablespoons, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- In a small bowl combine the sherry wine vinegar, reduced Tokaji wine, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and pepper and whisk together. Slowly drizzle the pan drippings into the vinegar mixture, whisking constantly to emulsify the dressing.
- Peel the outer leaves off the radicchio and cut into wedges. Remove the core and roughly chop. Set the radicchio aside. Remove the stalks from the kale and roughly chop the leaves. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- When ready to serve, drizzle about ⅓ of the vinaigrette over the kale. Use your hands to massage, or squeeze, the kale. This will help tenderize the kale. Add the radicchio to the kale along with the chopped walnuts and shaved cheese. Pour over another ⅓ of the vinaigrette and toss together.
- Use a sharp knife to remove the breasts from the backbone and cut into thick slices. Top each plate with a serving of the salad. Arrange the grapes and chicken breast slices alongside the salad. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the chicken. Serve with a glass of the chilled Tokaji wine and enjoy!
