Roast Chicken with Bread Salad (Judy Rodgers Style)

Place chicken, breast side down on cutting board. Cut out the backbone of the chicken. Discard. Flip chicken over and press on breastbone to flatten.

Using your fingers, carefully loosen skin covering breasts and legs. Rub 1/2 t salt under skin of each breast and 1/2 t salt under skin of each leg. Rub 1/2 t of salt into the cavity of the bird. Tuck wings behind back and turn legs so drumsticks face toward breasts. Place chicken on wire rack which has been placed on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475. Spray a 12″ cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Toss bread with broth and 2 T oil until pieces are evenly moist. Arrange bread in skillet in single layer, with majority of crusted pieces near center, crust side up.

Place chicken, skin side up, on top of bread. Brush with 2 t of oil and sprinkle with 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Roast until chicken skin is deep golden brown. This should take about 45-50 minutes and you should rotate the skillet halfway through roasting. If your chicken is larger, please use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. The thickest part of the breast should register 160 and the thighs at 175.

While chicken roasts, whisk vinegar, mustard, 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper together in a small mixing cup. Whisk in remaining 1/4 c olive oil. Stir in scallions and currants and set aside.

Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest uncovered for 15 minutes. Run a metal spatula under bread in skillet. You should have a nice mixture of soft and golden brown crispy pieces. Add salad to the skillet. Carve chicken and whisk any juices into the vinaigrette. Add vinaigrette to salad and toss to evenly coat salad and bread. Transfer salad to platter and serve with chicken.