I could eat roast chicken any time of year. And I probably have a different recipe to go with each season. My Roast Chicken with Salsa Verde recipe is one of my favorites because it incorporates two of the best Spring ingredients – arugula and spring onions! Roast chicken is such a warm, comforting dish but when you serve it with a fresh sauce like a salsa verde, it takes roast chicken to a whole new level!
I usually pair my roast chicken recipes with a red from the Cotes du Rhone region of France because, for me, roast chicken reminds me of a dish you would find in a quaint French Bistro. But with this dish, I felt that the fresh and herbaceous nature of the salsa verde required a full-body white wine or even better, a Provence rosé. So, in the spirit of “Simply Paired”, I decided to challenge my palate and try both. And the winner is…Provence rosé! Check out my Rosé Pairing page to learn more.
Roast Chicken with Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 lb. organic chicken
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1 scallion, green part only, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of capers
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flake
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Step 2 Ask your butcher to “spatchcock” the chicken or see the Tip below and do it yourself!
- Step 3 Place the chicken on a baking sheet. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil on both sides of the chicken and season with salt & pepper. Roast for approximately 50 min to 1 hour based on the size of your chicken. Let rest for about 15 minutes.
- Step 4 For the salsa verde, lay arugula on cutting board, place your capers on top, and coarsely chop to a chunky pesto consistency.
- Step 5 Place the mixture into a bowl and add the lemon zest, red pepper flakes, garlic, scallions, basil. Mix together and add 3/4 cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Step 6 To assemble, cut the leg & thigh from each breast, and place on a platter. Remove each breast from the bone and slice width-wise in a few pieces. Place chicken in the center of the platter. Spoon salsa verde generously over the chicken and serve.
Tip
Spatchcocking a chicken isn’t that difficult. It just requires some patience and a good pair of kitchen shears.
Prep the chicken by removing any neck parts and gizzards and discard. Place the chicken, breast-side down, on a cutting board. The first step to flattening the chicken is to remove the backbone. Use kitchen shears and cut along the right side of the backbone from the tail to the neck. Next, cut along the left side of the backbone. Discard the backbone. To flatten the bird, you need to break the breastbone. To do this, press down on each of the wings, at the same time until the breast-bone cracks. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
