Roast Chicken with Toasted Bread Salad (Zuni Café Inspired)

A white bowl filled with arugula salad, roast chicken, croutons and roasted lemon rounds. A small bowl of vinaigrette on the side as well as a small blue glass of water.

5 from 6 votes

Roast Chicken with Toasted Bread Salad (Zuni Café Inspired)

Juicy on the inside with crisp, golden brown skin this deceptively simple roast chicken with roasted garlic, toasted bread and zippy arugula salad is a recipe you'll keep coming back to!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, French

Servings:

Calories: 981kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

Ingredients

Chicken

1 4 lb chicken cut into 6 pieces
2 whole lemons sliced into rounds
1/4 c olive oil
2 heads garlic
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 c roughly torn bread crusty bread; baguette or country loaf torn into bite-sized pieces
4 cups arugula
salt and pepper

Dressing

4 cloves roasted garlic (from the chicken)
3 filets anchovy optional
2 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 c olive oil
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F.
First, carefully dry the chicken by patting it with a paper towel. This helps ensure that the skin gets really nice and crispy as it roasts. On a large sheet, tray toss the chicken pieces with the olive oil, thyme, lemon slices, salt and pepper. Trim the top ¼ inch off the top of the garlic bulbs and add them to the tray as well.
Roast the chicken for 30 minutes then remove from the oven and add the torn bread to the baking tray, tossing to coat in the olive oil and chicken drippings. At this time set aside 4-5 cloves of roasted garlic to make the dressing.
Put the tray back in the oven. Turn the heat down to 350 F. Bake for 10-12 more minutes until the bread is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
To make the dressing, remove the skin from 4 cloves of roasted garlic and place in a blender. Blend the roasted garlic with the oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard and anchovy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer the roasted chicken on a large plate or platter. Toss the arugula and toasted bread with the dressing. Top the chicken with the salad, garnish with the roasted lemon slices and garlic. Serve immediately!

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

Chicken: As is, the recipe calls for a whole chicken cut into 6 piece, however you can really use any combination of bone-in, skin-on chicken. Chicken thighs, breast, legs and drumsticks will all work.
Bread: You'll want to use a crusty country loaf or baguette, torn into bite-sized pieces. Gluten-free bread will also work, ideally a baguette and not sliced sandwich bread.
Arugula: Watercress is a good substitute for arugula.
Anchovy: Omit the anchovy if needed or substitute a tsp of Worcestershire sauce.

Storing and Re-heating Leftovers:

Reheat leftover roast chicken and bread in a 350F oven for 15-2o minutes, just until hot.
Leftover dressing will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

Nutrition