Ina Garten's Roast Chicken with Bread & Arugula Salad from Make it Ahead

Roast Chicken with Bread & Arugula Salad
Serves 4

1 (4- to 4½-pound) whole chicken, preferably Bell & Evans
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 large garlic cloves, smashed flat
1 lemon, quartered
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus extra for serving
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 (¾-inch-thick) slices country bread
Good olive oil
Arugula Salad (recipe follows)

Place the chicken in a baking dish. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs without breaking the skin. Carefully slide the sprigs of thyme and the garlic under the skin. Put the lemon in the cavity. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the body. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of sea salt and the pepper, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is very clean!) Place the bread in a medium (10-inch) cast-iron skillet in a single layer. Brush the chicken with olive oil and place it, breast side up, on top of the bread. Roast for 30 minutes, turn it over and roast for 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Wrap the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and allow the chicken to rest at room temperature for a full 30 minutes. (Don’t worry; it will stay hot.) The bread will be almost burnt on the bottom and soft with the pan drippings on top.

Place the Arugula Salad in a very large, shallow serving platter. Put the chicken and the bread on a cutting board. Cut the bread into 1-inch squares and sprinkle them on the salad. Carve the chicken thickly (see note) and place it on top of the salad. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken, sprinkle it with sea salt, and serve warm.

MAKE IT AHEAD: Season the chicken. Up to a day ahead, clean the arugula, prepare the vinaigrette, and refrigerate separately. Roast the chicken and assemble the salad before serving.

Note: To carve, cut off the legs and cut between the thigh and the leg. For the breasts, cut the wings off, remove each breast in one large piece, and make thick slices crosswise.

Arugula Salad 
Serves 4
¼ cup Champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup good olive oil
½ cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts (3 scallions)
2 tablespoons dried currants
6 cups baby arugula, lightly packed (6 to 8 ounces)
Note: Baby arugula holds up better than traditional arugula under the warm chicken.

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup.

Whisk in the olive oil, stir in the scallions and currants, and set aside.

Place the arugula in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss well.

Make it Ahead with Ina Garten

Ina Garten is one of the country's most beloved culinary icons and author of nine bestselling cookbooks. In her eagerly anticipated new cookbook, MAKE IT AHEAD: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook makes meal-planning easier than ever.

Whether mapping out meals for the week ahead or planning a special-occasion dinner party, this is the book you will turn to again and again for delicious food and stress-free entertaining.  

Sample recipes featured in the book include: Overnight Belgian Waffles, Warm Fig & Arugula Salad, French Chicken Pot Pies, Ultimate Make-Ahead Roast Turkey, Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Fresh Apple Spice Cake and Decadent (Gluten-Free!) Chocolate Cake.

In addition to mouthwatering recipes, MAKE IT AHEAD includes dozens of ideas for prepping ingredients ahead of time—from cutting and storing butternut squash to assembling the dry ingredients for a cake—plus tips for hosting parties and how to safely store food. To make planning even easier, in true Barefoot Contessa style, Ina offers sample make-ahead menus at the end of the book so home cooks can create the perfect meal for any occasion. This is your ultimate cheat sheet for the holidays.

THE ICON

For more than eighty years, BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS NEW COOK BOOK has been the go-to resource for recipes, culinary instruction, inspiration, and how-tos. This book revolutionized home cooking when it was first published in 1930. With millions of copies sold, there are few homes that don’t have a well-used edition, and for good reason. This is America’s # 1-selling cookbook that has transformed and modernized the way Americans cook at home. The vision was to “change as America changes,” and that is still the case today. The newest edition improves on this classic, making the 16th edition even better, more current, and an essential book for every home.  

We had a chance to talk to Executive Food Editor of Better Homes and Gardens, Jan Miller who filled viewers around the country in on the new 16th edition which is completely revised and updated. More than 1,200 recipes, broken down into 24 chapters, have been revamped and include new cooking trends such as how to make pasta from scratch, expanded canning and pickling how-tos, and classic cocktails. One thousand color photos plus ID shots of produce, fruits, meat cuts, cheese varieties, and more make this cookbook not only a recipe resource but also a shopping guide.  

The NEW COOK BOOK 16th Edition also includes foundational tips and information to help home cooks learn and grow. The “Secrets to Success” feature in each chapter demonstrates key details for making each recipe right the first time, such as techniques for making artisanal bread, roasting chicken, and perfecting fudge. Also new is the “8 Ways With …” feature that enables cooks to customize recipes with simple changes and additions. Foods that are seen as a blank canvas—fish fillets, chicken breasts, and Greek yogurt—are enhanced with flavor boosts and new ideas. Icons throughout the book show recipes that are Fast, Best Loved, and Low-Cal, helping readers sort through the recipes and chapters more easily. Cooking basics, charts on measurements, equipment, techniques, and cooking methods are provided, making this more than a recipe book: this is the ultimate cooking resource.