Roast Chicken for Company
You probably guessed it, but this roast chicken for company is what I love to make for cozy, informal family dinner parties. It’s inspired by Ina Garten’s Roast Chicken with Bread & Arugula from her Make it Ahead Cookbook. I have to say, Ina’s wisdom about cooking and entertaining has been the foundation for how I execute dinner for guests: Be a guest at your own party, casual family-style meals are the best, and never make everything yourself.
The basics are simple; organic air-chilled whole chicken, truffle salt (or sea salt if you can’t find it!), fresh thyme and garlic, and a bakery-quality loaf of bread will yield enticing fare. My kids love figuring out how to evenly stuff the thyme and garlic under the chicken skin as if it’s some sort of squishy Rubik’s cube.
The prep work and for this recipe can be completed ahead of time leaving minimal assembly when the dinner bell rings, and everyone will think you’ve been slaving away for hours while your oven does all the work. Plus, who has time to make last-minute recipe prep when there is an insatiable kids’ table to serve first?
It would be easy to dismiss this recipe for “just being easy” but honestly, the flavors are so complex and deceptively delicious it's surprising. I can almost guarantee you your dinner guests have never experienced a crouton delivered to their plate with the amount of love, care and attention your oven is about to give it. Take a tender hearty loaf of bread, turn it into your chicken’s baking rack, and let it soak up all those savory salty, chicken, fatty juices and caramelized bits in a pan. I bet I could knock someone off the Keto Diet with these croutons.
And, let me step on to my soapbox for one minute. Bottled dressing has no place at dinner when it takes all of 3 minutes to whip up a homemade blend! The difference is substantial, and I promise you, investing in the best of your simple ingredients will produce a far superior outcome vs. taking a 3-minute shortcut!
[cooked-recipe id="1120"]
Ingredients
