Save time by asking your butcher to cut the chicken into the 4 pieces (I like to save my chicken back for stock). Make your marinade the night before and combine with the chicken in the morning, allowing it to sit for eight hours. The marinade will help not only to flavor but also tenderizer the meat. The salad quickly comes together while the chicken and onions roast, and sits nicely at room temperature.
Ingredients
Tarragon-Mustard Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into 4 pieces (2 legs, 2 breasts)
1 batch Tarragon-Mustard Vinaigrette
8 spring onions, or 4 large cut in half, trimmed
Kosher salt
Double Pea and Radish Salad
Kosher salt
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
10 ounces green peas, fresh or frozen
2 small bunches radishes, halved or quartered if large
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
freshly ground black pepper
In a shallow baking dish combine the chicken pieces and one batch of Tarragon-Mustard Vinaigrette (when making the vinaigrette season it with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper). Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Allow to marinate for 4 to 8 hours, turning the chicken over, once, half-way through.
Remove chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 450 F. Line a half-sheet pan or a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the baking dish and place it on a cutting board. Add the spring onions to the dish and toss to coat them entirely with the vinaigrette.
Place the onions on the prepared sheet pan. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the onions and set on the middle rack of the oven. Roast the chicken until an instant-read thermometer reads 155 F when placed in the thigh, 35 to 45 minutes. The skin will be golden and crispy and the onions will be soft and dark golden brown.
While the chicken and onions cook, start your salad. Heat a large pot of heavily salted water (it should taste like the ocean) over high heat until boiling. Drop in the sugar snap peas and blanch for 1 minute or until crisp tender. Using a slotted spoon or spider remove peas and place in an ice bath. Once sugar snaps are cold, drain well. Pat dry with paper towels. You don’t want excess water in the salad.
Bring the water back to a boil. Blanch the green peas in the boiling water until crisp tender; remove and place in the ice bath. Drain peas well.
Combine the two peas, radishes and mint in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss well, taste for seasoning and adjust as you see fit.
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