Roast Chicken with Salsa Verde

I love all things associated with food; from the books I read which is a combination of fiction and many cookbooks, to the shows I watch on TV. I love to watch many of the Cooking Channel shows which is a lot of what was on the food network years ago. I still enjoy some shows on the food networks such as Iron Chef and Chopped. A new favorite for me has been a show called The Chew which is on regular network TV after The View. The Chew is all about food and the show is hosted by 5 celebrities Clinton Kelly (media personality known for his role on What Not to Wear), Mario Batali (Italian chef, owner of Babbo restaurant, host of Molto Mario, and Iron Chef), Michael Symon,
(restauranter, Iron Chef and host of Cook Like an Iron Chef), Carla Hall, (contestant and finalist of Top Chef), and Daphne Oz (daughter of Dr. Oz). I enjoy watching this show every day and have been looking forward to the premier of Michael Symon's new show, Symon's Suppers.

This is a new show on the Cooking Channel and I love Michael's approach to it. The premier started with a visit to Barbuto restaurant in New York City where Michael and chef Jonathan Waxman prepare a roast chicken in the restaurant. Michael takes some of the concepts and flavors of this dish to his home kitchen and shows us how to prepare a simple version of it.

I decided this whole menu sounded like the perfect Sunday night supper. It turned out all wonderfully and I look forward to trying more of Michael's recipes at home. Our side dish was Fried Potatoes with Spicy Aioli and 3 Minute Chocolate "Cup" Cakes.



Roast Chicken with Salsa Verde
Adapted from Symon's Suppers

One 4 lb. chicken
Kosher Salt
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
2 fresh bay leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 small onion, peeled
1 small bunch fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups baby arugula
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salsa Verde
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 shallot, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

The day before cooking, rinse the chicken inside and out under cold water and pat dry. Salt liberally, cover and refrigerate.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Gently loosen the skin on each side of the chicken breast and wedge 3 lemon slices and 1 bay leaf between the skin and each breast half. Put the garlic, onion, thyme and remaining lemon slices in the cavity of the chicken. Rub the entire chicken liberally with olive oil. Put the chicken in an ovenproof saute pan or roasting pan breast-side up, slide it into the oven and roast until the thigh reaches 160 degrees, or until the cavity juices fun clear, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes.

When ready to serve, in a medium bowl, dress the arugula with the red wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. Cut the chicken into 8 pieces, drizzle with the Salsa verde and serve with the arugula salad over the top.


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