How to Cook the Zuni Roast Chicken

Key points

1. The smaller the chicken, the better. 3.75 lbs seems to be roughly the upper limit. Larger birds overcook on the breast before the legs are done, regardless of technique.

2. Dry-brine (salted in the fridge) for six to 48 hours. Salt the bird at ¾ tsp kosher salt per pound, inside the cavity and on every outside surface. Slip 4 small thyme sprigs under the skin, one per breast and one per thigh. Place breast-up on a rack over a sheet pan. Refrigerate uncovered.

3. The pan is barely larger than the bird. A 10-inch cast iron skillet for a 3-lb bird. A 12-inch only if the bird looks tight in 10. The drippings have to stay in the bottom of the pan. They are the flavor of the bread salad. In a too-large pan, drippings burn in the exposed gaps at 475°F.

4. You preheat the pan AND the oven. Oven to 475°F. The cast iron over medium heat on the stovetop. The pan should be smoking when the bird hits it. The skin sears immediately on contact. A cold pan in a hot oven steams the skin. It does not sear. The bird will not stick to the pan.

5. You do not truss. Trussing slows the legs and risks underdone thighs by the time the breasts hit temperature. Trust Rodgers.

6. Flip it. ~30 minutes breast-up, flip down for 10 to 20 minutes, flip up again for 5 to 10. Total roast time is 45 to 60 minutes for a 3-lb bird. The thigh hits 165°F at the joint when the bird is ready. Pull and rest 10 to 15 minutes.

The bird

For a 3-lb chicken (serves 2 with leftovers, or 3 to 4):

Ingredient	Amount
Whole chicken, air-chilled if possible	1 (about 3 lbs)
Kosher salt	2¼ tsp (¾ tsp per pound)
Fresh thyme sprigs, small	4

Method:

1. Six to 72 hours ahead. Pat the bird very dry inside and out. Slip a thyme sprig under the skin in 4 spots: each breast, each thigh. Salt heavily inside the cavity and on every outside surface. Tuck the wing tips under. Place breast-up on a rack over a sheet pan, uncovered, in the fridge.
2. 30 to 60 minutes before roasting. Pull the bird from the fridge. Let it come toward room temperature.
3. Heat the oven to 475°F. Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stovetop.
4. Pat the bird dry one more time. The skin should look papery. Damp skin will not sear.
5. When the pan is smoking, place the bird breast-up in the pan. Slide the pan into the oven.
6. After about 30 minutes, flip the bird breast-down with tongs. Continue roasting.
7. After another 10 to 20 minutes, flip the bird breast-up again. Continue roasting until the thigh registers 165°F at the joint. Total roast time for a 3-lb bird is 45 to 60 minutes.
8. Pull the pan from the oven. Transfer the bird to a board. Let it rest 10 to 15 minutes.

While the bird rests, take care of the bread salad.

The bread salad

For two:

Ingredient	Amount
Day-old chewy country bread or ciabatta, torn into rough 1-inch pieces	4 to 6 cups
Olive oil for brushing the bread	2 tbsp
Pine nuts (I prefer walnuts)	2 tbsp
Dried currants	1 tbsp
Champagne or red wine vinegar	2 tbsp total (for currants and vinaigrette)
Scallions, sliced thinly on the bias	2
Garlic clove, very finely crushed	1 small
Olive oil for vinaigrette	3 tbsp
Chicken stock (for deglaze)	2 to 3 tbsp
Peppery greens (arugula, watercress, frisée, dandelion)	2 to 3 handfuls
Salt and pepper	to taste

Method:

1. While the bird is roasting, tear the bread, brush lightly with olive oil, and toast on a sheet pan in the oven (alongside the chicken) for the last 10 to 12 minutes. Edges should be golden, the interior still chewy.
2. Soften the currants in 1 tablespoon of warmed vinegar in a small bowl.
3. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes until light gold.
4. Whisk the vinaigrette: 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp vinegar, the crushed garlic, salt.
5. When the bird comes out of the oven and rests: pour all the pan drippings over the toasted bread in a large bowl. Don't lose a drop. The drippings are the dish.
6. Deglaze the empty pan with 2 to 3 tablespoons chicken stock. Scrape up the browned bits. Pour over the bread.
7. Toss the bread with the vinaigrette, currants and their soaking vinegar, pine nuts, and scallions. Taste. Salt only if needed; the drippings already carry salt.
8. Just before serving, fold in the peppery greens. They wilt instantly against the warm bread.

Carve the bird. Plate. Bread salad alongside or piled with the chicken.

Common failure modes

• The skin steamed. Causes: pan was not preheated. Bird went in wet. Dry-brine was too short. Fix at the source.
• The thighs are underdone. Causes: bird was over 3½ lbs. You trussed. You skipped the third flip. Add 5 to 10 minutes for a 4-lb bird and watch the joint temperature.
• The drippings burned in the pan. The pan was too big. Drippings in exposed gaps burn at 475°F. Use a smaller pan next time.
• The bread salad is soggy. The bread sat too long with the drippings before serving. Or the bread was too soft to begin with. Toast harder, assemble at the last minute.

What to drink with it

Burgundy or Riesling. Pinot Noir at the village level (Marsannay, Volnay, Chambolle, Gevrey-Chambertin) is the canonical pairing. A Mosel Riesling Kabinett or Trocken is the textbook white pairing and handles the schmaltz cleanly.

If the meal is a special occasion, an aged Burgundy makes the schmaltz-soaked bread salad sing.

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References