Alison Roman’s Anchovy-Butter Chicken with Chicken Fat Croutons
Juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, this roast chicken recipe from Alison Roman is covered in an anchovy butter that caramelises to perfection. Served with crunchy croutons cooked in the chicken fat, this meal is truly indulgent.
Introduction
When people ask me what my favourite thing to cook is, often I’ll give them the most boring but honest answer possible: roasted chicken. In a personal quest for ‘the one’, I’ve tried a bird every way possible – simple salt-and-pepper birds, spatchcocked (see page 227 of Dining In) and slow roasted, brined and trussed – but I always come back to this version: smeared inside and out with a salty, garlicky anchovy butter; roasted at a high temperature for brown skin, then low for juicy breasts; stuffed only with more garlic and maybe some herbs; legs akimbo (I have a strict ‘no truss, no fuss’ policy). I’m going to be honest with you: this recipe is almost too much. The sticky juices from the roasted chicken, the caramelised bits from anchovy butter, and the croutons that cook in the skillet and crisp in the fat, well . . . I mean, it’s really all just too much. Almost. For what other dish would you be tempted to lick a hot skillet?
Ingredients
| 1 × 1.6–1.8kg (3½–4lb) | whole chicken |
| kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 60g (2oz) | unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| 10 | anchovy fillets, finely chopped |
| 2 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 1 | garlic bulb, halved crossways |
| ½ | bunch thyme, marjoram, oregano and/or rosemary |
| 2 | small red onions or large shallots, unpeeled, quartered |
| ½ | loaf crusty bread, torn into 5 cm (2in) chunks |
| 15g (½oz/½ cup) | roughly chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley |
Method
Preheat the oven to 215°C (425°F).
Pat the chicken dry with paper towel and season it with salt and lots of pepper; let it hang out while you make the anchovy butter.
Using a fork, smash the butter, anchovies and chopped garlic together in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Smear the chicken all over and inside every nook and cranny with this butter (like, really get in there). If you’re comfortable doing so, I encourage you to smear the butter under the skin, too.
Stuff the chicken cavity with the halved garlic and herbs, and place the bird on a rimmed baking tray or in a large skillet. Scatter the onion around the chicken and roast until the bird starts to brown, 25–35 minutes. Toss the onion around to coat it all in whatever amazing fat has dripped off the chicken.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F) and continue to roast until the chicken is cooked through, and the onion gloriously golden, another 25–30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board or large serving platter, leaving the juices and onion behind.
Increase the oven temperature to 215°C (425°F) – ugh, I know, annoying; just do it – and toss the bread in all the glorious fat and cooking juices, making sure the pieces are soaking up all the business left behind. Return the baking tray to the oven to crisp up the bread, 5–10 minutes. Serve this alongside the chicken, with the roasted onion and parsley scattered around and on top.
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