Intro
It takes a lot for me to say something is perfect. Perfection isn’t really worth striving for but for us this chicken is as close as it gets.
There are endless variations. Sometimes there’s a mustard laced butter studded with herbs that I nudge under the skin. Other times there are a few lemons and shallots tucked into the cavity. More often than not there is a bed of potatoes roasting alongside But this version, in its most basic form is the one I turn to again and again. And as the first sign of cooler weather is making its appearance I have this simple roast chicken to look forward to on repeat.
While the herbs are still abundant in the market make this vibrant sauce to accompany. Later in the season I recommend switching to a seedy mustard aioli with perhaps a few pickled peppers finely minced and thrown in there as well.
Perfect Roast Chicken with Salsa Verde
Cook
Total
Yield 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 3 (or so) pound chicken
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Green Sauce
1 bunch scallions (about 5 to 7), white and light green parts thinly sliced
2 cups herbs (mint, dill, chives) finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest and juice from a medium lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
Instructions
Pre-Seasoning
This step is absolutely key. Thoroughly salt and pepper the chicken 12 - 24 hours in advance..
Having said all that there are times when I've not planned ahead and simply salted even as little as 30 minutes in advance and still enjoyed the results.-heated.
Prepare the green sauce.
In a bowl stir together the scallions, herbs, garlic, lemon (zest and juice), olive oil, salt, pepper, and mustard seeds. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. It should be quite pungent.
Courses Dinner
I love the sound of the pesto that you made!!
Your salsa verde sounds a lot like a persillade, which I don’t think of as being on the side, but on top, and even cooked with, foods like chicken, fish or, my favorite, roasted tomatoes. Or potatoes. Very versatile!
Came across your site and am pleased to see your chicken recipe… I eat chicken often so I am always looking for new ways to make the perfect, juicy chicken… Thanks for sharing.
i’ve been salting and drying my chicken like this for years….this technique was first introduced by zuni cafe as far as i know…the only difference is preheating the cast iron pan in the oven…very crispy skin and moist chicken overtime
great recipe, love salsa verde and great idea pairing it with a whole chicken, love chicken recipes that are innovative like this one, so thank you!
Here in the UK, roast chicken is inextricably wedded to gravy, which I don’t really enjoy; whenever I make a roast bird I try and come up with something different and this sauce looks great!
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was great! Served mixed with heirloom cheery tonatoes. So herby and refreshing ate almost half of the salsa myself. I would double or triple to eat with everything. Fresh Mozzarella or eggs!
Are the 2 tbsp olive oil in the ingredient list applied to the chicken along with the salt and pepper, or is that olive oil for the searing step? The searing instructions mention oil and butter, so I’m not sure if that is additional oil. I was hoping to get it started tonight to roast tomorrow, but now I’m confused!
Hey! Sorry for the confusion. Sometimes I sear with butter and oil and sometimes just oil. So the oil in the recipe list is for searing. Simply add salt and pepper tonight for roasting tomorrow.