Roasted Chicken on Croutons and Spring Onions

This recipe was inspired in part by the Lamb Kabob on fried bread and yogurt from Turkish Cuisine, and partially from an episode of Barefoot in Paris that I saw a few weeks ago.  I thought Ina Garten's idea sounded really good, but when she put it together, it seemed kind of dry and boring.  This was my first roasted chicken in years - I'm a bit of a cheat by buying rotisserie from the grocery store, I have to admit, but after this chicken, I think I'm a convert.  Even after overcooking it a bit, it won hands down.

I bought this great Amish Chicken from Weiland's market, and it was pretty reasonably priced.  I used the Zuni Cafe cookbook for a guide on roasting the chicken, which calls for a 475-500 degree oven.  The skin developed an almost caramely sweetness, not to mention being super crisp, thanks to the high heat.  I used a really small chicken, about 2 pounds, and added a few hours in brine.

For the Brine

- Place about 1 cup of hot water in a bowl large enough to accommodate the chicken, and add 1/4 cup kosher salt, a few bay leaves, a few springs each of thyme, rosemary, and sage, a splash of lemon juice, and a few spoonfuls of sugar.  Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar, and then fill the bowl halfway with ice and water.  Add the chicken, weighing it down if necessary to keep it submerged; refrigerate for up to 8 hours.  Remove the chicken from the brine and dry it thoroughly.  At this point, you can either roast the chicken, of put it back in the fridge for up to 8 more hours - this will allow the skin to dry completely, making the skin extra crispy.

For the chicken - Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  Carefully loosen the skin over the thighs and breast, and place a sprig each of thyme, sage and rosemary between the skin and the meat; sprinkle the entire chicken liberally with salt and pepper.  Preheat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, and then add the chicken, breast side up.  This creates a lot of smoke, but it won't burn.  Place the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes - Zuni recommends keeping an eye on it for the first 10 minutes, and if the skin doesn't start to brown, turn the oven up to 500.  My chicken hadn't really started to brown per se, but I left it at 475 and it turned out just fine.  After 20 minutes, turn the chicken over and roast for another 20 minutes, then turn it over again to re-crisp the skin for about 5- 10 minutes; place an instant-read thermometer between the thigh and leg, and remove the chicken when it reaches 155.  It will come up to 165 as it rests.  Remove the chicken from the pan, placing it on the waiting croutons.

For the croutons - Cut about 6 slices of sourdough bread into 3/4 inch chunks and place in a bowl.  Drizzle with really good olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.  Place the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer and add to the oven during the last 10 minutes of chicken cooking time.  Place on a platter, along with the sauteed onions.

To finish - After the chicken is on the croutons, drizzle some of the pan drippings over the croutons.  If you desire, you can make a super-quick pan sauce by draining the fat from the pan, placing it over medium-high heat and adding about a cup of white wine or chicken stock.  Reduce by 3/4 and whisk in 3-6 tbsp of butter.  Serve on the side.