Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken and Bread Salad
For the chicken:
1 chicken, about 3 1/2 lbs.
salt.
1-3 days prior to serving, rinse the chicken, discard the giblets and remove any extra fat. Dry very thoroughly. Season the chicken very liberally with the salt--about 3/4 tsp. per pound. Cover loosely and refrigerate 1-3 days.
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 450. Preheat a flameproof roasting pan or skillet over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry, brushing off any visible salt, and place breast up in the pan.
Roast in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, then flip the bird over. Roast for 20 minutes longer, than flip back over to recrisp the breast skin, 5-10 minutes longer. At this point, check to see if it is cooked. If yes, tip any juices inside the chicken back into your cooking skillet and set the chicken aside to rest. If not, keep cooking til it's done!
While the chicken is roasting, you can make the salad:
For the salad:
1 tbsp. dried currants
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. warm water
8 ounces crusty peasant bread (not sourdough though), bottom crust trimmed
6-8 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 tbsp. salted water
a few handfuls of salad greens (I use arugula)
Place the currants in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar and the warm water, and set aside.
Cut the bread into large chunks and brush with olive oil. Broil or toast to get it a little crisp, then tear into smaller edible sized chunks. Toast the pine nuts lightly at the same time you prepare the bread, then toss them together in an oven proof bowl or dish.
Combine 1/4 cup olive oil with the white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a small skillet, add the garlic and scallions, cook until just soft then add to the bread. Drain the currants and add them in. Add in the warm water and toss everything together.
Cover the bread salad with foil, and place it in the oven 10 minutes before your chicken is done.
While the chicken rests, defat the pan juices in your skillet, then bring to a simmer. Take the bread from the oven and place in a salad bowl. Drizzle the pan juices over, add some of the olive oil/white wine vinegar mix to taste, then toss in the greens.
Serve the chicken, cut into serving pieces, nestled in the bread salad.
It looks like a long recipe, but it only takes an hour, and it's really good!