roast chicken on cabbage
original recipe
ingredients
- 1 large head (2 1⁄2 pounds) green cabbage
- Splash of oil, any kind
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 whole chicken (shown here is 3 pounds)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
instructions
- Heat your oven to 450 degrees F. Halve your cabbage and slice each half into
1 to 1.5-inch thick slabs. Very thinly coat the bottom of a 12-inch ovensafe
skillet* or an equivalent roasting pan with oil, just to keep the cabbage
from sticking before juices trickle down. Arrange cabbage slices in the pan
as if you were making a mosaic, cutting pieces down as needed to get them to
fit tightly. Season cabbage with salt and pepper. Pat your chicken dry and
rub or brush it with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Generously salt and pepper
the chicken all over (I use a full tablespoon of Diamond kosher salt on my
3-pound bird; use half of another brand). Place chicken breast side-up over
the cabbage and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, spooning the bird and cabbage
around it with butter a few times throughout. Chicken is done when a
thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 155 degrees,
or 165 degrees for the thigh. If your chicken is much larger and you find
it’s getting too dark for your tastes, reduce the heat to 425.
- Lift the chicken off the cabbage and set on a plate (or warmed tray) to rest.
Flip each section of cabbage over carefully in the pan, nestling them back
in, and return the pan to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 450 degrees, until
the edges are very dark brown. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Cut chicken into pieces and serve with the cabbage, finishing everything with
lemon if you wish.