To Try: Ina Garten's Roast Chicken with Bread & Arugula Salad

 I have seen this Zuni Cafe inspired roast chicken recipe on a lot of blogs and finally in Ina Garten's make ahead book, so copying it here to try sometime.

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/roast-chicken-with-bread-arugula-salad

INGREDIENTS

Chicken

• 1 4-4.5 lb whole chicken
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 large garlic cloves, smashed flat
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 3/4 inch thick slices country bread
• olive oil

ARUGULA SALAD

• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• kosher salt & ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions white & green parts (~3 scallions)
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• 6 cups baby arugula, lightly packed (6-8 oz). Baby Arugula recommended.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place chicken in a baking dish. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs without breaking the skin. Carefully slide the sprigs of thyme and garlic under the skin. Put lemon in the cavity. Tie the legs together and tuck wins under the body. sprinkle with 2 tsp of sea salt and the pepper, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place bread in a medium (10-inch) cast-iron skillet in a single layer. Brush the chicken with olive oil and place it, breast side up, on top of the bread. Roast for 30 minutes, turn it over and roast for 15 minutes, until juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Wrap the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and allow the chicken to rest at room temp for a full 30 minutes. The bread will be almost burnt on the bottom and soft with the pan drippings on top.
• Make Arugula salad
• Whisk Vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, stir in the scallions and currents and set aside.
• Please arugula in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss well.
• Place the Arugula Salad in a large shallow serving platter. Put the chicken and bread on a cutting board. Cut the bread into 1-inch squares and sprinkle them on the salad. Carve the chicken thickly and place it on top of the salad. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve warm.