When our kids were in high school and busy with schoolwork and activities most days of the week, we started a family tradition of having a roast chicken for a midday supper on Sunday afternoons. The tradition naturally fell by the wayside after both of our offspring headed off to college.
Fast forward a dozen+ years and two moves later. Eric & I live in the Midwest, Kelly and her husband Gilbert live on the East Coast and Andrew lives about an hour from Eric & I. Most Sunday afternoons, Andrew comes down for a visit, has lunch with Eric & I, then the five of us meet up on Zoom to check in and talk about the previous week and what each of us has going on in the upcoming week.
Recently, Eric was inspired to bring back our Sunday roast chicken tradition for Andrew’s visit. The three of us enjoyed both the process and the end result. The recipe involved spatchcocking the chicken, then cooking it in the oven with a weight on it to both flatten the chicken and crisp up the skin. (A cast iron skillet works perfectly for the weighing down part.) Due to the success of the meal, I highly suspect this family tradition will once again be part of our routine on a monthly basis!
Italian Roast Chicken
Italian Roast Chicken (adapted from seriouseats.com) Total Time Required: 90 minutes, Active Time: 15 minutes, Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- juice and zest of 1 lemon, (about 2 tablespoons of juice)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8-inch rosemary sprig, needles removed and finely minced
- 1 large sage sprig (about 8 leaves), finely minced
- 4 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
- 4- to 5-pound whole chicken
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- lemon wedges for serving
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, rosemary, sage, and garlic.
Combine the ingredients for the marinade.
Spatchcock the chicken. Using sharp kitchen or poultry shears, remove the spine from the chicken. Flatten the chicken by placing it skin side up on a cutting board and applying firm pressure to the breastbone.
Spatchcock the chicken.
Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
Transfer the chicken to a resealable zipper bag and add the marinade, coating the entire chicken with the mixture. Refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Marinate the chicken.
After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 475°F. Place a 12″ sauté pan and a 10″ cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats to preheat the pans as well.
Scrape the marinade and minced aromatics off the chicken. Remove the hot pans from the oven and using cooking spray, grease the interior of the bottom of the sauté pan. Lay the chicken down in the skillet, skin side up, arranging the chicken so that it lies flat.
Lay the marinated chicken in the sauté pan.
Using cooking spray, grease the exterior bottom of the cast iron skillet. Press the skillet down on the chicken, making sure it evenly covers the chicken and is in contact with both the breast and the legs.
Cover the chicken with the heated cast iron skillet.
Carefully, transfer the two pans with the chicken in between them to the oven and cook the chicken until the thickest part of breast, close to the bone, registers 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes.
Cook the chicken for 30 minutes, to an internal temperature of 150°F.
Remove the chicken from the oven, remove the cast iron skillet and allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. (The internal temperature of the chicken will continue to rise, reaching the desired temperature of 165ºF as it rests.)
Allow the chicken to rest.
Carve the chicken.
Carve the chicken.
Serve the chicken with lemon wedges and a fresh drizzling of olive oil, if desired.
Serve with lemon wedges, olive oil, and desired sides.
Roast chicken is always popular in our home! ~Linda
Italian Roast Chicken (adapted from seriouseats.com) Total Time Required: 90 minutes, Active Time: 15 minutes, Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- juice and zest of 1 lemon, (about 2 tablespoons of juice)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8-inch rosemary sprig, needles removed and finely minced
- 1 large sage sprig (about 8 leaves), finely minced
- 4 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
- 4- to 5-pound chicken
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- lemon wedges for serving
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, rosemary, sage, and garlic.
Spatchcock the chicken. Using sharp kitchen or poultry shears, remove the spine from the chicken. Flatten the chicken by placing it skin side up on a cutting board and applying firm pressure to the breastbone. Transfer the chicken to a resealable zipper bag and add the marinade, coating the entire chicken with the mixture. Refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 475°F. Place a 12″ sauté pan and a 10″ cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats to preheat the pans as well.
Scrape the marinade and minced aromatics off the chicken. Remove the hot pans from the oven and using cooking spray, grease the interior of the bottom of the sauté pan. Lay the chicken down in the skillet, skin side up, arranging the chicken so that it lies flat.
Using cooking spray, grease the exterior bottom of the cast iron skillet. Press the skillet down on the chicken, making sure it evenly covers it and is in contact with both the breast and the legs.
Carefully, transfer the two pans with the chicken in between them to the oven and cook the chicken until the thickest part of breast, close to the bone, registers 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven, remove the cast iron skillet and allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. (The internal temperature of the chicken will continue to rise, reaching the desired temperature of 165ºF as it rests.) Carve the chicken and serve it with lemon wedges and a fresh drizzling of olive oil, if desired.