Butterflied Roast Chicken with Warm Bread and Arugula Salad

A square white plate with roasted chicken pieces, sliced and whole, served on a bed of arugula and toasted bread cubes. A serving fork and spoon rest on the side.

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Butterflied Roast Chicken with Warm Bread and Arugula Salad

Perfect roast chicken with warm bread and arugula salad is a comforting meal!

Prep Time3

Cook Time50

Resting Time15

Total Time4 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Arugula, Bread, Chicken

Servings:

Author: Nicole

Equipment

12-inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

For the Chicken

1 whole chicken (about 3 ½ - 4 pounds ) giblets discarded
Kosher salt
black pepper freshly ground
4 slices country-style bread (about 8 ounces), Homemade or store-bought sliced into 1-inch thick slices, bottom crust removed, cut into ¾-inch to 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
¼ cup chicken stock, Homemade or store-bought
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Extra-virgin olive oil

For the Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove finely grated on a microplane
1 small shallot finely diced
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil

For the Salad

5 ounces baby arugula

Instructions

For the Chicken

Place chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut through bones on either side of the backbone; discard the backbone. Do not trim off any excess fat or skin. Flip chicken over and firmly press on the breastbone to flatten.
Using your fingers, carefully loosen skin covering breast and legs. Rub ½ teaspoon salt under skin of each breast, ½ teaspoon under skin of each leg, and 1 teaspoon salt onto bird's cavity. Tuck the wings behind the back and turn legs so drumsticks face inward toward breasts. Place chicken on wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet or on a large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours. Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting.
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475°F. Spray a 12-inch cast-iron skillet with vegetable oil spray. Toss the bread with the stock and 2 tablespoons of oil until the pieces are evenly moistened. Arrange bread in skillet in a single layer, with most of the crusted pieces near the center, crust side up.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place, skin side up, on top of bread. Brush 2 teaspoons oil over chicken skin and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast chicken until skin is deep golden brown and thickest part of breast registers 160°F and thighs register 175°F, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through roasting.

For the Vinaigrette

While chicken roasts, whisk vinegar, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil. Stir in diced shallots and garlic; set aside. Place arugula in large bowl.
Transfer the chicken to a carving board (removing any bread from the underside of the chicken and returning to the skillet) and let rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Run a thin metal spatula under the bread to loosen from bottom of the skillet. (The bread should be a mix of softened, golden-brown, and crunchy pieces. If you like them more on the crunchier side, you can return them to the turned-off oven while the chicken rests.) Carve chicken and whisk any accumulated juices into the vinaigrette. Add bread and vinaigrette to arugula and toss to evenly coat. Transfer salad to a serving platter and serve with chicken. Enjoy!

Notes

This dry-brine method requires refrigerating the seasoned chicken for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

I use baby arugula for the salad, and although it is widely available in the markets these days, you can substitute it with another sturdy green like curly kale, or even baby spinach. (Remember to massage the kale with the vinaigrette to soften the leaves!)

Nutrition