Zuni Cafe’s Roast Chicken and Bread Salad

Chicken

1 (2¾- to 3½-pound) chicken

4 sprigs fresh thyme, about ½-inch long

2¼ to 3 teaspoons kosher salt, depending on the size of

the chicken

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bread salad

Generous ½ pound slightly stale, peasant-style bread

(not sourdough)

¼ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons

1½ tablespoons Champagne vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon dried currants

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 or 3 garlic cloves, slivered

¼ cup slivered green onions, including some of the

green parts

2 teaspoons lightly salted chicken stock

2 cups arugula, frisee or red mustard greens

To prepare the chicken: Two to 3 days before roasting the chicken, remove and discard the lumps of fat inside and rinse. Pat dry inside and out. Slide a finger under the skin on each side of the breast, making a pocket in each. Use a fingertip to gently loosen a pocket of skin over the thickest section of each thigh. Shove 1 thyme sprig into each pocket. Season with the salt and pepper, sprinkling a little bit of salt inside the cavity. Tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate from 2 days for a smaller chicken to 3 days for a 3½-pound chicken.

To prepare the bread salad: Preheat the broiler. Cut the bread into 2 large chunks. Carve off the bottom crust and most of the top and side crust, leaving some on for texture. Brush with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Broil briefly, to crisp and lightly color the surface on both sides. Trim off any charred tips. Tear chunks into a combination of irregular 2- to 3-inch wads, bite-size bits and fat crumbs. You should get about 4 cups.

Combine ¼ cup olive oil with the Champagne vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss ¼ cup of this vinaigrette with the bread in a wide bowl. Adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper and toss again.

Put the currants in a bowl with the vinegar and 1 tablespoon warm water. Set aside.

To roast the chicken: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Heat a shallow, flameproof roasting pan, barely larger than the chicken, or an oven-proof 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and place, breast-side up, in the pan. It should sizzle.

Place the pan in the center of the oven. Listen and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes. If it hasn’t, increase the temperature progressively until it does. If the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking aggressively, reduce temperature by 25 degrees. After 30 minutes, turn the bird over and roast 10 to 20 minutes. Turn bird again to re-crisp breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. Total roasting time will be 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.

Meanwhile: Put the pine nuts in a baking dish; set in oven just to warm through, then add to the bread. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet, and add the garlic and green onions. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until softened. Don’t let them color. Scrape the mixture into the bread and fold to combine.

Drain the currants; fold them into the salad. Drizzle the chicken stock over the salad; fold again. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper or a few drops of vinegar, then toss well.

Pile the bread salad into a 1-quart baking dish. Tent with foil and place in the oven after you flip the chicken the final time. Set the salad bowl aside.

To finish and serve: When you remove the chicken from the oven, turn off the oven, but leave in the salad for another 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off and discard the clear fat from the roasting pan, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add 1 tablespoon water to the pan and swirl it. Slash the skin between the chicken thighs and breast, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juices into the drippings. Set the chicken in a warm spot and set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two.

Tilt the roasting pan and skim off the last bit of fat. Put the pan over medium-low heat. Add any juices that have collected around the chicken and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape to dissolve drippings.

Return the salad to the salad bowl. Drizzle a spoonful of pan juices over the bread and toss. Add the greens and a final drizzle of the remaining vinaigrette; fold to combine. Toss again.

Cut the chicken into pieces. Transfer the salad to the platter and nestle the chicken into the salad.