There are countless roast chicken recipes flying around online. I recently read two that offered up even more methods to achieve the perfect bird. One suggested that the “traditional” method of roasting breast-side up was passe; the other shared a brilliant method of cooking the bird atop slices of sourdough bread. Both sounded like great ideas, so I combined them, and voilà – a stellar Sunday dinner.
Starting the chicken breast-side down, then flipping it about halfway proved the perfect combination of roasting methods. It kept the white meat from drying out, but finishing it breast-side up gave me the crispy skin I love. Its bed of sourdough resulted in a chewy, crisp delicious treat that overrode the need to serve another starch with the meal. Vegetarians, be warned: My veg daughter was sorely tempted to “cheat” when this succulent bird hit the table (Don’t worry – she didn’t!).
Roast Chicken Bread Inspired by an Epicurious recipe 4 servings
1 loaf sourdough
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 4-to-5-lb. chicken
2 large shallots, sliced
½ lemon
8 fresh sage leaves
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut the bread into 1½ inch-thick slices and place them in the bottom of a roasting pan in a single layer. Drizzle the bread with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Reserve any remaining bread for another use.
• Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry inside and out. Season the cavity with 1 tablespoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, then place the shallots, lemon and 6 sage leaves inside. Carefully slide a finger under the skin of each breast and tuck the remaining 2 sage leaves under the skin. Season the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon salt, then tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Let rest 30 minutes.
• Place the chicken breast-side down on top of the bread. Roast 30 minutes.
• Use tongs to carefully remove the chicken from the roasting pan and set aside. Flip the bread slices. Return the chicken to the roasting pan breast-side up and continue to roast 45 minutes, until a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh reads 160 degrees.
• Let rest 10 minutes before removing the kitchen twine and carving. Serve with the roasted bread slices.
This article appears in November 2015.