| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 day 1 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 day 1 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- Deselect All
- 1 (4- to 4 1/2-pound) whole chicken, preferably Bell & Evans
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 large garlic cloves, smashed flat
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus extra for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 to 4 (3/4-inch-thick) slices country bread
- Good olive oil
- Arugula Salad, recipe follows
- 1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts (3 scallions)
- 2 tablespoons dried currants
- 6 cups baby arugula, lightly packed (6 to 8 ounces)
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a baking dish. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs without breaking the skin. Carefully slide the sprigs of thyme and the garlic under the skin. Put the lemon in the cavity. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the body. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of sea salt and the pepper, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean!) Place the bread in a medium (10-inch) cast-iron skillet in a single layer. Brush the chicken with olive oil and place it, breast side up, on top of the bread. Roast for 30 minutes, turn it over and roast for 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Wrap the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and allow the chicken to rest at room temperature for a full 30 minutes. (Don¿t worry; it will stay hot.) The bread will be almost burnt on the bottom and soft with the pan drippings on top.
- Place the Arugula Salad in a very large, shallow serving platter. Put the chicken and the bread on a cutting board. Cut the bread into 1-inch squares and sprinkle them on the salad. Carve the chicken thickly (see note) and place it on top of the salad. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken, sprinkle it with sea salt, and serve warm.
- Whisk the vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisk in the olive oil, stir in the scallions and currants, and set aside.
- Place the arugula in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss well.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1143 |
| Total Fat | 87 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 66 g |
| Cholesterol | 246 mg |
| Sodium | 1524 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1143 |
| Total Fat | 87 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 66 g |
| Cholesterol | 246 mg |
| Sodium | 1524 mg |
Reviews
This is easy to make and very good. I will make again. The only thing that surprised me was how dirty it made my oven. All well worth it. Thank you!
Husband’s favorite. It can smoke a bit so we sometimes use the green egg grill setup for indirect and use cast iron. “It’s yum.”
This recipe is so amazing! Great flavors and not too hard. We wet brined the chicken, used craisins instead of currants and flipped the bread when we flipped the chicken. Absolutely amazing, Ina!
Great idea! Generally I roast chicken in a NuWave Infrared tabletop oven because it not only makes a great chicken but doesn’t smoke up the kitchen. So, adapted this recipe by placing thick slices rustic sourdough bread on bottom and prepped chicken per recipe. The bread sopped up the juices bt needed more crisping. As chicken rested cut bread into cubes and continued roasting those in oven until crispy. Made salad and dressing as suggested. Yum! Great easy meal!
This is the best chicken dish I have ever made and it is so easy. I made it for friends and they were really impressed!
This recipe is one to impress your family or guests – the bread is delicious and the chicken comes out super moist and flavorful. My advice would be to use a meat thermometer and make sure it temps to at least 160 prior to taking it out (it will rise a few more degrees as it keeps cooking after it comes out) because mine needed an extra 10 minutes or so.
Wonderful recipe! Have made this numerous times for my family, and always get raves. Ina knows chicken!
Very good!!!
Hands down this is one of the best chicken recipes that I’ve come across! I’ve made it twice already and it just gets better. Per some of the other reviewers, I put a thick slice of onion under the bread slices and that helped with some of the burn. But even burnt, it’s totally DELECTABLE! The dressing is to die for so splurge (I budget very tightly:-)) on the champagne vinegar. It’s totally worth it! This recipe introduced me to Ina’s cooking and now I’m recording her shows b/c she indeed knows her cooking and I just love her personality.
The most incredible salad i have ever had. As one user suggested I put thick slices of onion under the bread, which carmelized and added to the flavor. Made a slightly different dressing but wow, highly recommend. The dry brine of the chicken is definitely the way to go.