Whole Roasted Chicken with Gremolata

Ingredients

1 Whole chicken For roasting and spatchcocking.

a few sprigs Fresh rosemary For flavoring the chicken and the herb butter.

a few sprigs Fresh thyme For flavoring the chicken and the herb butter.

to taste Kosher salt For salting the chicken during the salt cure.

a teaspoon or two Baking powder Optional, mixed with salt for extra crispy skin.

½ cup Unsalted butter Softened, for herb butter.

1-2 tablespoons Bacon fat Added to herb butter for flavor.

4-6 Garlic cloves For gremolata and flavoring.

1 Fresh lemon Zested and juiced for gremolata.

2-3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil Mixed with lemon juice for gremolata.

a handful Fresh parsley Chopped for gremolata.

to taste Fresh pepper Ground on chicken for seasoning.

Equipment

Sharp scissors or poultry shears

Foil-lined baking sheet

Knife and cutting board

Microplane grater

Small bowl or jar

Directions

Prepare all ingredients and have them close by. The dish comes together quickly.

Snip along the length of the spine of the chicken for spatchcocking.

Place a snip in the center of the breastbone to crack the bird open.

Place the flattened chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet, add fresh rosemary and thyme.

Salt cure the chicken in the refrigerator for 24 hours to deepen flavor and desiccate skin.

Mix herbs (rosemary and thyme) with softened butter and bacon fat to prepare the butter-herb mixture.

Gently break through the membrane near the top of the breast and insert butter-herb mixture underneath the skin.

Rub the entire chicken with bacon fat.

Roast the chicken at 450°F for about 45 minutes, until the juices run clear and the skin is crispy.

Allow the chicken to rest uncovered for 10 minutes after roasting.

Remove the thighs from the chicken by cutting at the joint.

Cut the breasts in half width-wise.

Serve the chicken pieces with gremolata on top or on the side.

Make gremolata by rinsing, drying, and chopping parsley.

Peel garlic cloves by pressing and pounding with the heel of the hand.

Zest one lemon with a microplane, avoiding the white pith.

Juice the lemon, catching seeds with your fingers.

Season lemon juice with salt and freshly-ground pepper.

Whisk the lemon juice with olive oil to make gremolata.

Toss chopped parsley and garlic into the gremolata.