Zuni Baked Chicken with Arugula

By draingal

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.6kg (3 1/2 lb), cut into 8 pieces
• 6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled, smashed with the back of a knife
• 3 lemons
• 1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 baguette, torn into roughly 3/4"-2" pieces
• 2 anchovies, finely chopped or smashed with a fork
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 6 cups loosely packed arugula

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425
Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side-up on a large rimmed baking sheet or in a large baking dish or roasting pan and scatter the garlic cloves around them.
In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, thyme, salt, several generous grinds of pepper, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Mix together and rub all over the chicken, being sure to get some under the skin.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the chicken, undisturbed, for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove from the oven and arrange the torn bread and zested lemon halves in between the chicken pieces, tossing them in any juice the chicken has released. Drizzle everything with another "glug" of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and return the pan to the oven to roast for 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile, combine the anchovies, vinegar and water in a small bowl and set aside. Place the greens in a large shallow serving bowl.
Remove the chicken from the oven and immediately add the anchovy mixture – this will help deglaze the pan so you don’t lose all those nice crispy bits.
Use tongs (or your fingers) to pluck out the croutons and add them to the serving bowl with the greens. Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Top with the chicken pieces and lightly tent the bowl with aluminum foil.
Next, take the garlic cloves and squeeze them out of their skins back on to the baking sheet and squeeze the roasted lemon halves over to release all their juice.
Use a wooden spoon or spatula to crush the softened garlic cloves and scrape up as much of the crusty bits on the bottom of the pan as possible. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl; discard solids. Drizzle chicken and arugula mixture with garlic sauce. Cut remaining 2 lemons into wedges and serve.