Best Zuni Café Chicken Recipes

ZUNI CAFÉ ROAST CHICKEN WITH BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Start 2-3 days ahead. Discard lump of fat inside chicken. Rinse chicken and pat very dry. Slide finger under skin of each of breast and thigh, making pocket and insert herb. Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper {¾ teaspoon of sea salt per pound of chicken}. Cover loosely and refrigerate 2 to 3 days. Preheat the broiler. Remove crust from bread annd cut into large chunks. Brush the bread with olive oil. Broil very briefly, turning to brown all sides. Tear into chunks. Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil with Champagne vinegar; salt and pepper. Toss about 1/4 cup of this with torn bread in bowl. Add toasted pine nuts. Place cranberries in small bowl and moisten with red wine vinegar and warm water. Preheat the oven to 475ºF. Preheat iron skillet over medium heat. Wipe chicken dry and set it breast side up in pan. It should sizzle. Place in oven for 30 minutes, then flip bird over. Roast for 20 minutes, then flip back over for 5-10 minutes. Saute garlic and shallots in spoonful of olive oil until soft. Toss with bread along with drained cranberries. Dribble the chicken stock over the salad and fold again. Pile the bread salad in a 1-quart baking dish and tent with foil. Place salad in oven after you flip the chicken the final time. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Leave the bread salad in oven (turned off) to continue warming. Set chicken on carving board. Carefully pour clear fat from roasting pan, leaving lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to hot pan and swirl it. Slash the stretched skin between thighs and breasts of chicken, then tilt the bird over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. Bring roasting pan juices to simmer, scraping bits. Remove salad from oven, pour pan juices over salad and toss with arugula and remaining vinaigrette in salad bowl. Mound salad on plate and top with chicken piece.

ZUNI CAFé CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season the chicken 1 to 3 days before serving (for 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-pound chickens, at least 2 days): Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Pat the chicken very dry (a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown).
• Slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets, then use a fingertip to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Push an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.
• Using about 3/4 teaspoon sea salt per pound of chicken and pepper to taste, season the chicken liberally all over with salt and the pepper. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity and on the backbone. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.
• When you're ready to cook the chicken, heat the oven to 475 degrees. Depending on your oven and the size of your bird, you may need to adjust the heat to as high as 500 degrees or as low as 450 degrees during roasting to brown the chicken properly.
• Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle. Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle.
• Place in the center of the oven and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn't, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over (drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking). Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to re-crisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Pour the clear fat from the pan, leaving the drippings. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl. Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. As the chicken rests, tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape.
• Cut the chicken into pieces and pour the pan drippings over the chicken.