Falling for whole roasted chicken
Around my house, a simple roasted chicken is one of our favorite meals to make once a week. Especially in the fall, when many of us have traded casual summer suppers for busier schedules, there are few things more satisfying to eat, or as easy to prepare and clean up, than a whole roasted bird. When served atop a bed of grilled radicchio, it appears to be a fancy dinner, but it couldn’t be easier to execute.
Sunday is commonly dedicated to “meal prep” in many households, but to my wife, Susi, and me, prepping on Monday is the real game. We roast a chicken, and each take a succulent thigh for that night’s dinner, saving the rest of the bird for a few lunches and turning it into broth or a simple soup for the weekend.
The wide availability of farm-raised organic and free-range poultry in the U.S. is something to revel in too. In Italy and most other parts of our planet, owning your own coop and pen is often the only way to experience the deliciousness of safe, free-range birds.
Once you’ve found a fantastic organic supplier and are ready to purchase, look for whole chickens with shiny, flexible skin devoid of discoloration or worn areas. Starting with perfect poultry is essential to the overall taste of this dish. From there, most of the flavor comes in the unmonitored cooking time as the chicken roasts in two of Italy’s most cherished products from the Emilia-Romagna region: sweet Lambrusco wine and bold-flavored balsamic vinegar.
This dish is a great way to use up the flavorful but inedible rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. I love using bitter radicchio di Treviso, and it is particularly delicious with the pan juices from the roasted onions and chicken splashed over it. Grilling the greens adds a delightful char while muting the bitterness; best of all, it brings back the magnificence of summer that I’m not ready to relinquish yet.