Of all the ways to prepare a chicken, nothing quite compares to the glory and satisfaction of pulling a whole roasted bird out of the oven. The key to perfectly cooked, moist, tender meat is arranging the chicken with the legs pointing to the back of the oven­—the hottest part—so that the breasts don’t overcook by the time the legs have reached the optimal temperature. The spice rub that gets slathered on this chicken is loosely inspired by my husband’s extreme and underlying love of pastrami. Believe it or not, he loves roast chicken even more than I do, so I decided to fuse two of our favorite foods into one epic Sunday night roast. The onions get all schmaltzy and caramelized as they cook below the chicken, and I have to say, it’s really something!

Pastrami Roast Chicken

Category

Category name

Serves

4

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 ½ to 4 pound) whole chicken
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 large red or yellow onions, halved and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
  • 2 heads garlic, cut in half, horizontally
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup roughly chopped dill leaves
  • Dijon mustard, for serving, optional

Method

  1. Pat the chicken dry. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil and mix well to make a goopy paste wet enough to rub and stick to the chicken. Using your hands, spread the spice mix all over the chicken, making sure that it reaches all the nooks and crannies and the underside of the bird. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 6 hours or overnight; the dryer the skin, the crispier it will be when cooked. Let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking.
  2. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 450°F.
  3. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, scatter the onions and then wedge in the garlic halves cut side down. Drizzle generously with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss well to coat. Set the chicken on top with the thighs and drumsticks pointing away from the handle. Set the skillet in the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and stir the onions and garlic. Return the skillet to the oven and roast, another 15 to 20 minutes, until the skin is a deep, golden brown, and a thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. At any point, if the rub is getting too dark, lightly tent the darkest areas with aluminum foil for the remainder of the cooking time. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime, add the dill to the skillet and stir into the onions and garlic.
  4. Carve the chicken, removing the legs first, then cutting off the wings. Cut along the breastplate and remove the breasts. Slice each breast into four pieces and arrange with the other cuts of chicken on top of the onions in the skillet, making sure that all the skin is included. Serve immediately directly from the pan.