As the days get shorter, the nights get longer, and the weather gets colder, not much is more comforting and cozy than delicious smells filling the house while something equally as delicious cooks. While the weather is finally cool enough to not suffer while standing over a stove and cooking, sometimes it's so nice to make something that doesn't take a whole lot of work. Something that once the chopping and assembling is done, can (mostly) cook itself while you sit on the couch with a good book. This is one of those kinds of meals.
Notes:
I always use brined chicken to keep it extra moist and juicy, and serve it alongside brown rice to keep the meal filling but healthy.
This recipe is my riff on Gwyneth Paltrow's "Super Crispy Roast Chicken" (from her book "It's All Good"), and Kimberly Hasselbrink's "Salsa Verde" (from her book "Vibrant Food").
Serves 4
Roast Chicken
High quality, free range + organic whole chicken
Coarse sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh thyme
2 lemons, quartered
1 red onion, cut into eight wedges
1 yellow onion, cut into eight wedges
1 shallot, thinly sliced rounds
Salsa Verde
1 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped capers
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lemon, zest + juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Rinse and dry the chicken. Sprinkle generous amounts of salt and pepper inside the cavity, then rub the entire chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the underside of the chicken, and then place it breast side up in a roasting dish. Stuff the cavity with half the lemon, some fresh thyme sprigs, and slices of the onions. Generously sprinkle the top with salt and pepper. Nestle the rest of the onion slices, along the the rest of the lemon, the thinly sliced shallot, and more sprigs of the thyme around the chicken. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with fresh thyme leaves, and finish with a quick drizzle of the olive oil.
Roast the chicken for 1 to 1 1/2hours, basting every 15-30 minutes with the juices that accumulate in the pan.
While the chicken cooks, make the salsa verde by combining the parsley, olive oil, capers, garlic, salt, lemon zest and juice in a small bowl.
The chicken thigh should register at least 165°F on a thermometer, but you can let it get to 180°F just to be sure it’s completely cooked through. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Serve the chicken alongside the roasted onions, and with a drizzle of the pan juices. Finish with the salsa verde. Enjoy!
