Roasted Chicken & Grapes

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Oh mannnn is this chicken good. I've been wanting to make it for a long time and finally did this weekend. I only regret waiting so long. This chicken is perfect: salty crispy skin, juicy flavorful meat, tart and sweet grapes, delicious pan sauce. It would serve beautifully with a side of creamy polenta, although I served it with an amazing Raw and Roasted Carrot and Fennel Salad by Alison Roman because, well, its Passover, and polenta-n-me will have to wait another few days to meet again.
*Recipe from Melissa Clark's most recent cookbook Dinner: Changing the Game, which I highly recommend.

INGREDIENTS
1 spatchcocked chicken, 4-5lb (*see below for how-to-spatchcock-a-chicken)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed in spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
16 oz seedless grapes on the stem
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter

In a small bowl mix together the salt, fennel seeds, pepper, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Rub all over the chicken, then place the whole bird, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet/roasting pan and let sit on the counter for 1-2 hours.

When you're close to cooking the bird, preheat your oven to 475 degrees F. Transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss together the grapes with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, the sugar, and some salt and pepper. After the chicken cooks for 20 minutes, remove from oven and place the grapes around the chicken. Put the chicken back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, skin is golden brown, and grapes are lightly caramelized. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let sit for a few minutes and remove the grapes from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Keep the pan juices!!

Pour the vinegar into the roasting pan to help scrape up all of the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour all juices into a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until lightly boiling. Whisk in the butter and taste for seasonings.

Carve the chicken into pieces and serve with grapes and pan juice on top. Enjoy.

**NOTES**
The recipe calls for a spatchcocked chicken and if you're not sure how to do this don't be intimidated-- its easy. Take a whole chicken (clean and dry) and place it on a cutting board with the neck/backbone facing up. Taking very sharp kitchen shears, cut along either side of the backbone from one end to the other, removing it completely (discard/save for chicken soup). Then flip the bird over onto the cutting board and press down on the breasts, until it slightly flattens and you hear a pop. Ya done spatchcocked a chicken, ya'll!