This is my redemption meal. For those of you who have been following my kitchen exploits for some time, you know that I’ve been having the yips when it comes to roast chicken - something I used to make without incident. Thanksgiving 2018, I made 2 chickens for the family (we are not turkey people) - one was perfectly fine, the second was way undercooked. I took the temp of the 1st one and did not wait long enough before I poked the second one for temp so it was artificially high. I gave one of my best friends food poisoning that day. Then, Easter 2021, I took the temp of the roast chicken, it looked great, but when I carved, it was raw at the bone. Of course, this last time afforded me a brush with the Teigen family, when Pepper Teigen (mom of Chrissy) commented on my pity post about only having her scalloped potatoes for Easter dinner (the chicken was used for stock and enchiladas later).
You know me (or, maybe you don’t - hi!), I don’t go for the easy route (except when running…). Zuni roast chicken in San Francisco is the roast chicken that I compare all other roast chickens against. It is crispy with tons of flavor and nestled in this unusual “bread salad” that is part stuffing, part salad. I knew months ago, looking at my cookbook shelf, that this would be my redemption chicken.
Ingredients:
Chicken:
One small chicken (2.75 - 3.5lbs) [Judy is super serious about this size]
4 tender sprigs of fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary, or sage ~½ inch long [I used sage]
Salt
~¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
A little water
Bread Salad:
Generous 8oz slightly stale, chewy, peasant style bread (not sourdough)
6-8 TB olive oil
1.5 TB Champagne or white wine vinegar
Salt/Pepper
1 TB dried currants
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 TB warm water
2 TB pine nuts
2-3 garlic cloves, slivered
¼ c. scallions (white and light green parts), slivered
2 TB chicken stock
A few handfuls of arugula, frisee, or red mustard greens, carefully washed and dried [I used arugula]
TIMING NOTE: The chicken needs to be salted 1-3 days ahead of cooking. This improves flavor, keeps it moist, and makes it tender. I did 1.5 days.
Seasoning the chicken - remove the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry, inside and out [I did not do this because the FDA does not recommend washing chickens].
Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 pockets. Now, use the tip of your finger to open a pocket under the skin of the thickest section of the chicken thigh. Shove a herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper (use ¾ tsp sea salt per pound of chicken). Cover loosely and refrigerate for 1-3 days.
Start the bread salad (up to several hours in advance): Preheat the broiler. Cut the bread into several large chunks. Carve off all the bottom crust and most of the top and side crusts. Brush all over with olive oil [great activity for a toddler to help with!]. Broil very briefly to crisp and lightly color the surface. Turn the bread chunks over and crisp the other side. Trim off any badly charred bits, then tear the chunks into a combo of 2-3 inch pieces, bite-sized bits, and fat crumbs. It should be about 4 cups.
Combine about ¼ c. of the olive oil with the Champagne vinegar and salt/pepper to taste. Toss about ¼ c. of this tart vinaigrette with the bread chunks in a wide salad bowl; the bread will be unevenly dressed. Taste a saturated piece. Season with salt/pepper if bland.
Place the currants in a small bowl and moisten with the red wine vinegar and warm water. Set aside.
Roasting the chicken and assembling the salad:
Preheat the oven to 475F [Depending on your oven and size of your bird, you may need to go up to 500F or down to 450F - more on that later].
Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken or a 10 inch skillet with an all-metal handle (not non-stick). Preheat the pan on the stove on medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry with paper towels and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle!
Place in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn’t, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char or the fat is smoking, reduce the heat by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over breast side down [drying the bird and preheating the skillet should keep it from sticking]. Roast for another 10-20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to recrisp the breast skin, another 5-10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45-60 minutes.
Note: If your oven is like mine, it will smoke a lot. My husband tried to solve this issue by shopvac-ing the smoke as I opened the oven...it worked, kind of? I think the air filter we have going for CA fire smoke helped more!
While the chicken is roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish and set in the hot oven for a minute or two, just to warm through. Add them to the bowl of bread.
Place a spoonful of olive oil in a small skillet, add the garlic and scallions, cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until softened. Don’t let them color. Scrape into the bread salad and fold to combine. Drain the plumped currants and fold in. Dribble the chicken stock over the salad and fold again. Taste a few pieces of bread and add salt, pepper, or a few drops of vinegar if bland. Toss well.
Pile the bread salad in a baking dish and tent with foil; set the salad bowl aside. Place the salad in the oven after the flip the chicken for the last time.
Finishing:
Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Leave the bread salad to continue warming for 5ish minutes.
Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the roasting pan, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it.
Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the plate to drain the juice into the drippings. Rest the chicken while you finish the bread salad.
Get the bread salad out of the oven and tip back into the salad bowl. Drizzle and toss with a spoonful of the pan juices. Add the greens, a drizzle of vinaigrette, and fold well. Taste again. Cut up chicken and nestle in the bread salad.
VICTORY IS MINE!!! This was an amazing way to reenter the roasted chicken boxing ring. The dry brine (salting it ahead of time) made the chicken succulent and well seasoned. It tasted like a restaurant meal. The bread salad was the perfect counterbalance and having salad in the name, it even seemed healthy (for bread that has been drizzled with schmaltz, nuts, and berries). I'm contemplating making this chicken for Thanksgiving this year - how many 3lb birds would I need for the 6.5 of us?
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