Poulet vigneronne recipe, Burgundy's grape-harvest chicken

Poulet vigneronne, or vine-grower's chicken, is a Burgundy braise built around whatever the vineyard offered at harvest time: chicken thighs, shallots, a splash of verjuice or white wine, and whole grapes added at the end so they warm through without collapsing.

The dish belongs to the same family as coq au vin but predates the fashion for long red-wine braises; it was cooked fast, in one pan, for pickers who needed feeding rather than a formal dinner. This year's sharply reduced French wine harvest is a reminder of how closely the region's kitchens still follow the vineyard calendar.

Ingredients

The grapes go in last, just long enough to warm through without bursting.

• 4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 100 ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp verjuice or white wine vinegar
• 250 g seedless green or red grapes
• 1 sprig thyme
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Season the chicken thighs and dust lightly with flour, shaking off the excess; the flour will thicken the sauce later, so a light, even coat matters more than a heavy one.
2. Brown the thighs skin-side down in the butter and oil over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes, then turn and colour the other side for 3 minutes before removing them from the pan.
3. Soften the shallots in the same fat for 3-4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits on the base of the pan, which carry most of the dish's flavour.
4. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for a minute to cook off the raw alcohol, then add the stock, verjuice and thyme.
5. Return the chicken to the pan skin-side up, cover, and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
6. Stir in the grapes for the final 3-4 minutes only, just long enough to warm and soften their skins without letting them burst and turn the sauce sweet and jammy.
7. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning; the verjuice should leave a light acidity that cuts through the richness of the butter and chicken skin.

A dish that follows the harvest

Verjuice, the tart juice of unripe grapes, is traditionally pressed at the start of the vendange, before the main crop ripens for wine; it gives this dish its characteristic sharpness without the sweetness of a finished wine.

Serve it with plain boiled potatoes or crusty bread to soak up the sauce, and a glass of the same light, dry white used in the pan, ideally an Aligoté or young Chardonnay from Burgundy.