Chicken and grape salad with chicken fat croutons

Emily Gussin
Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

Looking for an extra-special chicken salad recipe?Try our chicken and grape salad with chunky chicken-fat croutons.

Why it’s so good: This chicken salad is big on textures with classic flavours. Juicy red grapes, crisp romaine lettuce leaves, slivers of fresh shallot and chunky croutons add contrast to the tender balsamic-dressed chicken.
Clever cooking technique: Baking the chicken on top of the bread means you make the most of every ounce of flavour from the meat. The fat slowly drips into the croutons as they cook, leaving some delightfully squidgy and others crunchy. The chicken skin is crisped up, too, to scatter over the salad.

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Ingredients

300g day-old bread (a classic loaf, focaccia or ciabatta works well here), cut into 2cm chunks
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
About 700g chicken thighs and drumsticks (skin-on, bone in)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 round shallots, thinly sliced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 romaine lettuce, leaves separated
200g red grapes
1 tsp capers

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Spread out the bread on a baking tray so it’s all in one layer with just a small space between each piece. Season with salt and pepper, then scatter over the rosemary. Season the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper, then sit them spaced out, on top of the bread. Drizzle the chicken with 1 tbsp of the oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden and the bread is crisp.
While the chicken bakes, put the shallot slices in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes to soften slightly.
Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and transfer to another baking tray. Return to the oven for 5-8 minutes until deep golden brown and very crisp.
Meanwhile, transfer the chicken to a board and leave to cool a little. Transfer the croutons to a large bowl. Scrape the fat and cooking juices from the tray into a jug and add the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Whisk in the balsamic and mustard, then season with salt and pepper to make the dressing.
Use two forks to shred the chicken and remove the bones. Season. Add the chicken, softened shallots (drained), lettuce, grapes and capers to the bowl of croutons, then toss together to combine. Arrange the salad on a serving platter, then drizzle over the chicken fat balsamic dressing and scatter shards of crispy chicken skin over the top.

Recipe from July 2025 Issue

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