Roast Chicken + Bread Salad, Zuni Cafe Style
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Roasting a whole chicken used to feel like an ordeal to meal. It certainly was a process, one never attempted mid-week. After poking a lemon with a skewer 25 times, smashing garlic cloves, chopping up carrots and shallots, stuffing the cavity and pinning the neck closed, I would swaddle the dear bird with twine, a poor attempt at trussing. Geez Louise — just thinking about all of the steps makes me question why I ever attempted whole roasted chicken at all.
If you, too, reserve roasting a whole chicken for special occasions only, please know that a super moist, most delicious chicken can be achieved in 45 minutes. It’s true. Best of all, it requires no trussing.
Many of you already know about the much adored Zuni Cafe roast chicken and bread salad recipe. Some of you may have even had the luxury of enjoying it at the beloved San Francisco cafe. From oysters to wood-fired baked bread to ricotta gnocchi to chocolate gâteau and biscotti, the Zuni dinner my husband and I enjoyed there with two dear friends rates as one of the best ever.
And the roast chicken and bread salad for us (and many others) remains the most memorable course. The dish is a sort of roast chicken panzanella, a combination of spicy mustard greens, sweet currants, toasted pine nuts, and chewy peasant-style bread. And the bread. Oh the bread! Saturated with pan drippings and a light vinaigrette, these irresistible cubes are the star of the dish. Seriously, I could eat the whole batch of bread salad alone. The Zuni cookbook, one of my favorites for its stories and thoughtfully written recipes, offers detailed instructions on choosing a chicken, on salting the chicken (what they refer to as the “practice of salting early”), and on assembling this whole dish. (If you’re looking for a food-related gift, this book is prefect for any foodie — it’s filled with goodies.)
Anyway, while I rarely make the bread salad recipe — it indeed is a bit of a process — I make the roast chicken at least once a week. I can never find birds under 4 lbs. (Zuni recommends using a 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 lb bird) but even so, with a hot cast iron skillet and the oven at 475ºF, my chickens finish cooking in 45 minutes consistently. And they are the juiciest, most flavorful chickens ever to emerge from my oven — the dark meat, my favorite, nearly falls off the bone, and the white white, infused with the flavors of sage and thyme (or whatever herb you’ve tucked under the skin) remains tender and juicy. It’s hard to refrain from gnawing on the bones while carving.
This time of year, nothing tastes better to me than a whole roasted chicken. A whole roasted chicken smothering a bread salad that is. While there’s nothing tricky about the bread salad recipe, somehow it always becomes more of a process than I anticipate. Perhaps it’s the way the recipe has been written — I always find my eyes glued to the book, rereading every paragraph to make sure I’m not missing a step. The recipe does not lack details that’s for sure, but it pays. When you’re feeling up for it, take a stab at this recipe. You won’t be disappointed.
Mustard greens from our Olin-Fox Farms CSA:
Roast Chicken and Bread Salad
- Total Time: 1 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
Adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
This is my favorite method for roasting a chicken. I rarely make the whole bread salad anymore, but I roast chickens using this method all the time. Often now, too, I don’t use any herbs (lazy!). I simply salt and pepper the chicken ahead of time (at least 2-3 hours) using a scant teaspoon of kosher salt per pound. Then I pat the chicken very dry before proceeding with the recipe. Crisp skin, juicy meat, so good.
Ingredients
- One chicken, 2 3/4 to 3 1/2-pounds (or larger — I use this method with birds as large as 4+ pounds)
- 4 tender sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage, about 1/2 inch long
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Generous 8 ounces slightly stale open-crumbed, chewy, peasant-style bread (not sourdough)
- 6 to 8 tablespoons mild-tasting olive oil
- 2 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic, divided
- 1 tablespoon dried currants
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts (or more)
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, slivered
- 1/4 cup slivered scallions (about 4 scallions), including a little of the green part
- 2 tablespoons lightly salted chicken stock or lightly salted water
- A few handfuls of arugula, frisée, or red mustard greens, carefully washed and dried
Instructions
To roast the chicken:
- Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry inside and out. Be thorough — a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown. Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle (I use a cast iron skillet). Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle.
- Place the chicken in the pan in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start 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 temperature by 25 degrees. After about 25 minutes, turn the bird over — drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking. Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to re-crisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the 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 bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. Set the chicken in a warm spot (which may be your stovetop) and leave to rest while you finish preparing your dinner (or the bread salad (recipe below)). The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools.
To make the salad:
- Set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two. Cut the chicken into pieces; arrange on the warm platter. Tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape to soften any hard golden drippings. Taste — the juices will be extremely flavorful.
- Preheat the broiler. Carve off all of the crusts from your bread. Cut into a couple of large chunks. Arrange on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Broil very briefly, to crisp and lightly color the surface. Turn the bread chunks over and crisp the other side. Tear the chunks into a combination of irregular 2- to 3-inch wads, bite-sized bits, and fat crumbs. You should get about 4 cups.
- Combine about 1/4 cup of the olive oil with 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss about 1/4 cup of this tart vinaigrette with the torn bread in a wide salad bowl; the bread will be unevenly dressed. Taste one of the more saturated pieces. If it is bland, add a little salt and pepper and toss again. Place the currants in a small bowl and moisten with the remaining tablespoon vinegar and water. Set aside. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, checking frequently and stirring every so often to make sure the nuts do not burn. Remove skillet from heat when nuts are golden.
- Heat a spoonful of the olive oil in a small skillet, add the garlic and scallions, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until softened. Don’t let them color. Scrape into the bread and fold to combine. Drain the plumped currants and fold them in, along with the pine nuts. Dribble the chicken stock or lightly salted water over the salad and fold again.
- Taste a few pieces of bread — a fairly saturated one and a dryish one. If it is bland, add salt, pepper, and/or a few drops of vinegar, then toss well.
- Pile the bread salad in a 1-quart shallow baking dish and tent with foil. Set the salad bowl aside to be used again later. Place the bread salad in the oven after you flip the chicken the final time, for about 5 to 10 minutes. (Note: I skip this step. I prefer the texture of the bread at room temperature. When I heat it, I find it loses some of its crisp texture.)
- Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the 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 bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. Set the chicken in a warm spot (which may be your stovetop) and leave to rest while you finish preparing the bread salad. The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools.
- Tip the bread salad back into the salad bowl. It will be steamy-hot, a mixture of soft, moist wads, crispy-on-the-outside-but-moist-in-the-middle-wads, and a few downright crispy ones. Drizzle and toss with a spoonful of the pan juices. Add the greens, a drizzle of vinaigrette, and fold well. Taste again. Arrange bread salad on a platter. Top with carved chicken.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours 20 minutes
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32 Comments on “Roast Chicken + Bread Salad, Zuni Cafe Style”
okay a bunch of things….1)this looks amazing considering I love chicken and bread 2)I can only find 2lb chickens so I guess that means it’s time for you to move to Switzerland 3)I’ve watched your video on how to butcher a chicken about 12 times now and I still stink at it – I thought it would be easier with a cooked chicken, and it is a bit, but I still stink at it – another video perhaps? Heading back to the states for the weekend (crazy, I know) but I will definitely be making this when we get back.
This looks fantastic. Honestly, I love the blend of bitter greens, tender chicken, the bread, and just the hint of sweet with the currants. I seriously would love to try this in the next few days. Love the photos, too. Process shots that aren’t too overdone are the best way to tell the story.
Loved, loved, loved this post! I’ve been to the Zuni Cafe only once, wonderful place…
if you don’t mind answering a question – does it make a lot of splatter in the oven? the only reason I refrain from roasting chicken at high temperature is the messy oven, and/or the smoke detectors going crazy 😉
but I really want to try this recipe, your photos are simply amazing, I could almost ‘taste’ the chicken!
Sally,
I don’t think the chicken makes too much splatter but truthfully, I’m embarrassed to admit, that my oven is always such a mess that I’m not sure I would have noticed. I will probably roast a chicken in the next couple of days, however, and will report back. Our smoke detector is so sensitive, that I disarm it every time I cook anything. It’s so annoying. Wish I could be more helpful, but I really don’t think this cooking method creates too much splatter.
Will be in touch again soon!
Do you use a lightbox of some kind / live somewhere with great natural light year round / or cook during the daytime when it gets daaaaaaaark?
Your pictures regularly have fantastic lighting, regardless of the time of year. Here in Minnesota it gets tough to have well-lit images during the winter months (as in now…).
Martha,
Where are you in Minnesota? My husband is from outside of Minneapolis, and my in-laws still live there. I love visiting in the summer. So beautiful!
Anyway, I don’t use any sort of lightbox. I only shoot during the day bc the flash on my camera is terrible. I use a Canon Rebel xt. It’s about 4 years old now, and it has been so good to me. I usually just set up my work space next to a window in my kitchen — whichever one is letting in the most light at that particular moment. Hope that helps! Let me know if I can answer any other questions.
Ali Ali Ali, you’ve actually inspired me to try to be a good wife and try to make this for Damien this weekend, he owes you big time. You wanna come back to Cali and take me to Zuni? Awesome, perfect!
Katykat I’m so impressed! You must call me if you have any questions. I want to hear all about it. And yes, let’s meet at Zuni this weekend. K? Can’t wait!
Hey Ali,
This is next on the to-do list! As a side note, my uncle showed me an uber-easy whole-chicken on the grill recipe that DJ and I do once a week at least – requires only that you salt it, split it down the back, open it up and place it bone-side down on the grill (charcoal is best). Leave it for an hour, then come back and you have a perfect chicken with less than five minutes of prep.
Hope all is well with you! I’d love to hear your tweak on the “five-minute whole-chicken” recipe idea — but then again, not sure we could handle more than five minutes and salt! 🙂
Hi Lindsay! Always so nice to hear from you! I love the idea of Whole Roasted Chicken in 5 Minutes a Day… might have to seriously look into that 🙂 Ok, you’re going to be disappointed, but I don’t own a charcoal grill. It’s terrible. Need to do something about this before next summer. So, is the chicken essentially butterflied? It sounds amazing. Nothing is better than charcoal flavor. As convenient as gas is, it will never compare to charcoal. Hope all is well!
You had me at ‘roast chicken panzanella’. The Zuni Cafe Cookbook seems to have so many winning recipes…I might need to invest. Thanks for sharing (the process photos are awesome).
Sarah — the cookbook is awesome. Only once have I made the ricotta gnocchi, but they were heavenly. Must revisit that recipe soon!
So yum! I vowed after my trip to Zuni that I would never eat bread again unless it was soaked in chicken pan juices.
That looks amazing, bet it tasted just like the restaurant version! Your pictures are so colorful and bright.
Thanks for your reply, Alexandra. Tom and I live in Minneapolis, but we’re originally from Michigan. I agree that shots next to the window are the best… sometimes I wish I could carry the whole stove over there! Unfortunately access to natural light is only available on the weekends November through “spring” since we both work during the day M-F.
I am so happy to have discovered your blog! It is beautiful. And while I’ve never had the opportunity to eat at Zuni, everything about this salad and roast chicken looks amazing. I’ve included it in my Friday Shout-Out and Blog Hop! I hope you’ll stop by and check it out. (This week’s theme is salad!) href=”https://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2011/friday-shout-out-and-blog-hop-salad-recipe/”
Thanks for the shout-out Katherine!
This looks so, so tasty! Gorgeous pictures, and a very tempting salad! 🙂
Bookmarked!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Ali,
Yep – just butterflied, rubbed with salt, and plopped down on the grill. And we don’t actually own a charcoal grill either, and it turns out just fine! The first time had it was over charcoal (and it was amazing), but the difference between charcoal and gas isn’t really that noticeable… and the convenience is worth it, to me! Otherwise, it becomes Grilled Chicken in 5 Minutes… Plus 40 Minutes of Waiting for your Coals to Settle…. 🙂
Ahhhh, so good to hear! I love the convenience of gas, (but was afraid to admit it.) Thanks so much! I’m going to try this.
This combination of flavors just floors me. It’s going to make a bunch of people in my house very happy. Thanks!
You just nailed one of my all time favorites. I had this at Zuni cafe few years ago, and have been cast iron roasting chicken ever since. On Sunday, I tried it on the grill so the smoke alarms wouldn’t go off and it worked perfectly. I have never been able to capture the photo though and you did a superb job.
This looks so appetising! I tried preparing the chicken the exact same way, including roasting it in a cast iron pan, but it came out far too dry and chewy. 🙁
Peregrine — Sorry to hear this. How many pounds was your chicken? How long total did you cook it for?
So nice of you to reply! I wasn’t sure if you were still responding to this entry. It was a pretty small chicken, around 3 pounds, and I cooked it for about 50-55 minutes in total. I did cut quite deep into one of the drumsticks at around 45 -50 minutes to check if it was ready, which might have drained that part of the chicken of the fat that was keeping it moist, but I guess that would not have made the chicken dry all over.
Peregrine, I am envious that you are able to find 3 lb chickens. This is the size that Zuni recommends in the cookbook, and I think part of the reason why your chicken was dry was that it cooked for too long. In a hot oven and the cast iron skillet, the 4-lb chickens I’ve been cooking are done in 45 minutes. So, if you feel like giving the recipe a whirl again, I would do 30 minutes breast up, 10 minutes breast down, and 5 minutes breast up at the very most — it might not even need that last 5 minutes breast side up. Letting the bird rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting also always helps with keeping the bird moist. Again, I’m so sorry to hear that your first round was a disappointment. That’s always frustrating. Hope next time around turns out better for you!
Love this way of doing chicken! I saw a similar recipe a while back but didn’t pin it and couldn’t find it again when I wanted to make it. Pinning now!
meatballs & milkshakes — Love this Zuni recipe — seriously, it’t one of my faves in the late fall and early winter when we are getting so many great mustard greens from our CSA. That said, anytime of year this would be good, as the greens can be varied as can so many of the other ingredients. I hope you get around to making it!
The recipe sounds amazing but my smoke detectors are super sensitive! The last time I had a big party, someone left the door open for a few minutes and just the smoke from the grill outside set them off. I do think I will try the 5 minute chicken though. I just wanted to tell you that I live in Southern California and a market near me has small chickens that the butcher uses for their hot rotisserie chickens. They are 2.5 -3.5 pounds. He rarely has them on the meat counter but will always sell them to me when I ask. When he packages one up for me, the label says “Southern whole fryer” and they come with no giblets (much cheaper too). You might want to ask a butcher near you.
KAth — great tip. You know, I never think to ask butchers these sorts of things, but I definitely should. I have a feeling I might be able to find smaller birds behind the counter at my Wegmans. Thanks!
This worked a treat! Salted it 3 days in advance and included the herbs. Salty, crispy skin and super moist meat (even the breast) — my friends devoured it. Thank you!