Featured in our Fall 2024 Food + Entertaining article, Autumn Inspiration, this Zuni sheet pan chicken was inspired by San Francisco’s Zuni Café and its world-famous roasted chicken dish. This one-sheet pan dish is a perfect go-to weeknight meal with roasted garlic, lemons, anchovies, and giant pieces of french bread.
Zuni Sheet Pan Chicken
Course: Main4
An easier (and quicker) version of its namesake, the world-famous roast chicken from Zuni
Café in San Francisco.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, about 3 ½ pounds, cut into 8 pieces
6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled, smashed with the back of a knife
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, zested and cut in half
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ baguette, torn into roughly 1- to 2-inch pieces
2 anchovies, finely chopped or smashed with a fork
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons water
4 large handfuls of rocket, mustard greens, kale, escarole or whatever greens you like
lemon wedges, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- 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 rocket (or other 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 about half the garlicky pan sauce over the chicken and bread salad and serve with the remaining sauce on the side and lemon wedges to finish, if desired.
