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Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Bread Salad
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This recipe was inspired by the late Judy Rodgers’ wood oven–roasted chicken that has been on the menu at San Francisco’s Zuni Cafe since 1987 and continues to be popular to this day (the bread salad didn’t accompany the chicken at its debut, but the pair now are inseparable). We modified Rodgers’ exacting technique to make the dish doable on a weeknight, but we aimed to approximate its deliciousness and capture its simple elegance. The cooking in our recipe starts on the stovetop and finishes in the oven, but it all takes place in a 12-inch skillet; be sure your skillet is fine for use in a 475°F oven. For the salad, choose greens with plenty of character that can hold their own when mixed with pieces of crusty whole-wheat bread and dressed with rich chicken drippings and white wine vinegar. Subtly bitter frisée or radicchio are good choices, as is sturdy, dark-green baby kale. The chicken is flipped twice during roasting. The best way to do this with little risk of tearing the skin is with a sturdy pair of tongs. Grasp the bird by the backbone, inserting one arm of the tongs into the cavity, then grip the chicken firmly and flip it.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t forget to thoroughly pat dry the chicken before seasoning. The drier the skin, the better it will brown and crisp during roasting.
1 hour 40 minutes
45 minutes active
1 3 1/2 - 4 pound whole chicken, patted dry
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
6 thyme sprigs
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounces crusty whole-wheat bread, torn into large bite-size pieces (5 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped pecans or pine nuts
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
8 pitted dates, chopped
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 ounces frisée or radicchio, torn or cut into bite-size pieces, or baby kale (about 4 cups lightly packed)
Ingredients
-
1
3½ - 4 pound whole chicken, patted dry
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
-
6
thyme sprigs
-
¼
cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
-
8
ounces crusty whole-wheat bread, torn into large bite-size pieces (5 cups)
-
2
tablespoons chopped pecans or pine nuts
-
4
scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
-
8
pitted dates, chopped
-
3
tablespoons white wine vinegar
-
8
ounces frisée or radicchio, torn or cut into bite-size pieces, or baby kale (about 4 cups lightly packed)
Directions
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01Heat the oven to 475°F with a rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the meat on the breast and thighs of the chicken. Slip the thyme sprigs under the skin in those areas. Sprinkle the salt-pepper mixture all over the chicken and in the cavity, rubbing the seasonings into the skin; set aside.
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02In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high, heat ¼ cup oil until shimmering. Add the bread and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside. Add the pecans to the now-empty skillet and toast over medium, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the nuts to the bread, along with the scallions, dates and ¼ cup water; toss to combine, then set aside.
-
03Return the skillet to medium and heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil until shimmering. Place the chicken breast up in the skillet (it should sizzle on contact) and transfer to the oven; roast for 15 minutes.
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04Remove the skillet from the oven (the handle will be hot). Using tongs, flip the chicken breast down, then roast for another 15 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven once again and transfer the chicken to a large plate. Add the bread mixture to the skillet and toss to combine with any drippings in the pan. Return the chicken breast up to the skillet, placing it on top of the bread. Roast until golden brown all over and the thickest part of the breast reaches 160°F, another 12 to 18 minutes.
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05Remove the skillet from the oven. Using tongs, tilt the chicken so the juices run out of the cavity and into the skillet, then transfer the bird to a cutting board. Let rest for about 10 minutes.
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06Meanwhile, add the vinegar and greens to the skillet (the handle will still be hot); toss to combine with the bread. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a platter. Carve the chicken, removing and discarding the thyme sprigs, and place the pieces on top of the salad. Drizzle with the accumulated juices.
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Reviews
October 24, 2022
Foolproof classic!
A new go to for guests and even special weeknights
May 22, 2022
Turned out great! The bread salad was amazing.
Fine roast chicken recipe. A real winner.
December 27, 2023
Absolutely delicious
We saw this on the show and made it the same night. It’s really delicious - especially the crispy bread with all the chicken juices. Tips: Make sure your oven is clean because you’re cooking at 475 degrees. Don’t mix the greens with the bread right after you take the chicken off to rest for ten minutes. It will get warm and wilty. I mixed it as we were cutting up the chicken and served the chicken on top. I couldn’t find crusty wheat bread so opted for a regular French round loaf. I rubbed the outside of the chicken with some butter and it browned really well. The skin was delicious.
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