Recipe for Zuni Café Roast Chicken with Bread Salad
Advance Planning.
Don’t you hate it when you get to the end of making a recipe that you plan to serve right away and the last instruction is, “Make at least one day ahead and refrigerate”? First, tsk tsk for not reading the recipe all the way through before starting… But, even more shame on the recipe’s author for not telling you upfront! I try — and hope I am successful — in letting you know if a recipe, or part of a recipe, should be made ahead.
Major snaps to Judy Rogers, founder of the Zuni Café and author of the eponymous cookbook, for starting today’s recipe with instructions for seasoning the chicken one to three days in advance. For a dry salt brine to be successful, it needs time and, considering the size of the chicken I used, it needed two days. That (plus adding some herbs under the skin) is the only advance prep and it was easy; that step took but a few minutes.
The flavors of this recipe are fantastic, and it is a perfect autumn comfort food. But you know me — I would make this any day of the year. The combination of the savory bread and arugula salad and succulent roasted chicken really hits the spot. As is my way, I took some liberties with the four pages of instructions (I streamlined them to one page), and made a few changes to the entire production — instead of serving the thighs and legs as is, I removed the meat from the bone, diced it, and tossed it into the salad. Also, I “pulled” the breast meat and set it on top of the salad; I doubled the currants and pine nuts, reserving some to sprinkle on top; and I increased the amount of arugula, as we like more salad.
As I was introduced to this recipe by our friends Susan and Towny, I let them choose the wine pairing. You can read about it on the Provence WineZine.
a 4 to 5 pound organic chickenair-dried if possible
6large sage leavesplus extra
4small tender sprigs of rosemaryplus extra
1 1/2tablespoonsfine sea salt
The Salad
1poundday-old peasant-style breadnot sourdough — see notes
mild olive oil1/4 cup plus extra for brushing the bread
1 1/2tablespoonschampagne or herbed white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3tablespoondried currants
1tablespoonsherry vinegar
3tablespoonwarm water
3tablespoontablespoons pine nuts
6scallionsincluding the green part
2tablespoonslow-salt chicken stockor lightly-salted water (see notes)
6ouncesbaby arugula
Instructions
Start the recipe two days in advance of serving. Clean and dry the chicken; then, using your finger, gently separate the skin from the breasts and thighs on both sides. Slide two sage leaves and one small rosemary sprig between the skin and the breasts, then one sage leaf and one small rosemary sprig between the skin and the thighs. Salt the chicken all over, more heavily on the thicker parts. Place the chicken in the refrigerator uncovered for two hours, then cover lightly for two days.
The day you plan to serve the chicken, cut the bread into 5 to 6 large chunks. Remove most of the crust. Brush the bread all over with olive oil, then broil very briefly until crisp and lightly colored, turning the bread to crisp all sides. Set aside.
Whisk together 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the champagne vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
Toast the pine nuts; transfer to a plate and set aside. Wipe out the skillet and add a spoonful of olive oil; set over medium-low heat and sauté the scallions until softened. Don’t let them brown.
Place the currents in a small bowl and moisten with the sherry vinegar and warm water. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Place a 10- to 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it in the pan, breast-side up. It should sizzle upon contact.
Place the pan in the center of the oven; it should start browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn’t, raise the temperature. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken (use a spatula to loosen it from the skillet) and roast for another 20 minutes. Then turn it back to breast-side up and roast for another 15 minutes until the chicken is done and juices run clear.
During the first half hour of roasting the chicken, trim the bread chunks of any badly charred tips then tear the bread into bite-sized chunks and place in a large bowl. It should be about 6 cups. Toss a couple tablespoons of the vinaigrette with the torn bread in a large salad bowl. Taste for seasoning.
Add the scallions with any olive oil remaining. Drain the currents and add half of them and half the pine nuts, as well, reserving the other half of each. Moisten the salad with the chicken stock, toss well, and taste for seasoning. Transfer the bread salad to a baking dish and tent with foil, then place in the oven about 10 minutes before the chicken is done.
Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Tilt to release all the juices into the pan; leave the bread salad in the oven for a few more minutes.
Transfer the bread into a large salad bowl. Drizzle with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the pan juices, add the greens, a drizzle of the vinaigrette, and toss well. Taste for seasoning.
Cut the thighs and legs of the chicken; discard the skin, remove meat from bones, and dice. Add the diced dark meat to the salad and toss. Transfer the salad to a large serving platter. Remove the chicken breasts from the bone and shred — or “pull” — the meat into large pieces. Arrange the chicken breast on top of the salad, drizzle the chicken with a little more of the pan juices, any remaining vinaigrette, and sprinkle with the reserved currants and pine nuts. Serve.
Notes
Serves 4 to 6.• The recipe states that the bread should not be sourdough but, in one of my tests, I accidentally bought a sourdough bread and it worked just fine.• Maybe I should have told you up front, but this recipe requires really, really, really good potholders for handling to hot skillet!
I love a “salad” meal myself. Great looking chicken. I’ve never brined or dry-brined one before, just turkeys. I should try this! Love the ingredients. No sourdough? Interesting…
David, this is one of my favorite recipes. I had the pleasure of eating this delicious meal at the Zuni Café in San Francisco. It was amazing, and what was special was the bread. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve been meaning to cook it at home for a long time, but I’ve not gotten around to it until now.
That looks delicious and I think dicing the legs and thighs is the way to go. I went to a lunch in the summer, where someone served coronation chicken legs cooked sous vide. They were all stuck together and looked quite unpleasant.
The salad must have tasted particularly amazing! This reminds me of the salted duck I used to buy when I was at home…those crusty toasted bread chunks look darn good too.
I used the Zuni Cafe recipe for cooking chicken for years, but have never made the bread salad. I agree the dry salt brine needs a minimum of two days, and three is even better. I believe the original recipe at the Cafe was cooked over charcoal. I seldom use charcoal any more but I cook the chicken in a pellet smoker grill @ 450 F degrees (using charcoal pellets) in a cast iron skillet that is heated for about 30 minutes prior to starting the chicken. I use BBQ gloves that are supposedly good for 1400 F, but I can still feel the heat from the skillet handles. The charcoal pellets add a mild smoke flavor that I really like. I once cooked it in the oven, but never again because of the mess it made from splattering fat. Your recipe for the salad sounds tasty, and I will have to try it. Red wine is perfect to pair with it, and the one Susan & Towny selected sounds excellent.
FEL!X
November 7, 2026 at 5:34 amYummy!
That’s why I always put «AM VORTAG» and «AM ZUBEREITUNGSTAG»…
Mimi Rippee
November 7, 2026 at 6:15 amI love a “salad” meal myself. Great looking chicken. I’ve never brined or dry-brined one before, just turkeys. I should try this! Love the ingredients. No sourdough? Interesting…
Gerlinde
November 7, 2026 at 6:41 amDavid, this is one of my favorite recipes. I had the pleasure of eating this delicious meal at the Zuni Café in San Francisco. It was amazing, and what was special was the bread. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve been meaning to cook it at home for a long time, but I’ve not gotten around to it until now.
Mad Dog
November 7, 2026 at 6:58 amThat looks delicious and I think dicing the legs and thighs is the way to go. I went to a lunch in the summer, where someone served coronation chicken legs cooked sous vide. They were all stuck together and looked quite unpleasant.
angiesrecipes
November 7, 2026 at 7:23 amThe salad must have tasted particularly amazing! This reminds me of the salted duck I used to buy when I was at home…those crusty toasted bread chunks look darn good too.
Barb
November 7, 2026 at 8:33 amI used the Zuni Cafe recipe for cooking chicken for years, but have never made the bread salad. I agree the dry salt brine needs a minimum of two days, and three is even better. I believe the original recipe at the Cafe was cooked over charcoal. I seldom use charcoal any more but I cook the chicken in a pellet smoker grill @ 450 F degrees (using charcoal pellets) in a cast iron skillet that is heated for about 30 minutes prior to starting the chicken. I use BBQ gloves that are supposedly good for 1400 F, but I can still feel the heat from the skillet handles. The charcoal pellets add a mild smoke flavor that I really like. I once cooked it in the oven, but never again because of the mess it made from splattering fat. Your recipe for the salad sounds tasty, and I will have to try it. Red wine is perfect to pair with it, and the one Susan & Towny selected sounds excellent.