Adapted from the Riesling chapter of “100 Perfect Pairings: Main Dishes to Enjoy with Wines You Love” by Jill Silverman Hough (Wiley, 2011)
This easy dish starts with a spatchcocked chicken, which is a fancy way of saying the bird is splayed out and which has two big plusses. One, the chicken cooks more evenly. And two, it crisps up better. Yay and yay.
From there, the chicken is roasted with a generous sprinkle of fennel and coriander seeds and served with a simple cucumber sauce.
All in all, a delightfully different twist on basic roast chicken.
Serves 4 to 6
- FOR THE CHICKEN
- One 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- FOR THE SAUCE (OPTIONAL)
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, dill, or ideally, a combination
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
To spatchcock the chicken: Arrange the chicken breast side down on a work surface. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone, then the other side, removing it. Press the chicken open to reveal the cavity and cut a small slit in the tip of the breastbone—it’s at the “v” of the chicken’s neckline. Now turn the chicken over, skin side up, and splay it out, so it’ll open like a book. Use both hands to press down on the breast, as if you were breaking the spine of that book, flattening the chicken. Tuck in the wings. (To dry brine the chicken, see the note below.)
To cook the chicken: Arrange the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or, ideally, on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, and set aside at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Meanwhile, in an electric spice or coffee grinder, combine the coriander and fennel seeds and pulse to coarsely grind. (If you don’t have an electric spice or coffee grinder, use a mortar and pestle to crush the seeds or place them in a small bowl and crush them with the end of a wooden spoon.) Stir in the salt and pepper.
Rub the chicken on both sides with the olive oil, then sprinkle both sides with the spice mixture. Roast skin side up until an internal thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, 30 to 40 minutes. Let the chicken rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving.
While the chicken is roasting, make the sauce, if using: In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, sour cream, cilantro and/or dill, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the chicken with the cucumber sauce smeared onto plates or on the side.
NOTE To dry brine the chicken, after spatchcocking, arrange the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or, ideally, on a rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides with 2 teaspoons of coarse kosher salt. Set the chicken aside in the refrigerator, ideally uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and set aside at room temperature for 45 minutes. Proceed with the recipe at the third paragraph above, omitting the salt from the spice rub.
