Lemon-Sumac Roasted Chicken

Everyone should have one simple roast that they can make without thinking about it, and this one is mine. The stalwart of Shabbat dinner, this roasted chicken is an ode to crispy skin. The first step to getting perfectly crispy skin in every bite is to spatchcock the bird. Typically, spatchcocking involves removing the spine from the chicken, but I cut through one side of the chicken only, leaving the spine and all its flavor. If you do remove the spine, set it aside (or freeze it) to use for making stock. (Some grocers also sell spatchcocked chicken.) 

In addition to allowing the skin to crisp up all over, spatchcocking also helps the chicken cook faster, about an hour total for a four- to five-pound bird. That’s ideal for getting Shabbat dinner on the table by sunset, and it’s also perfect for a more formal dinner, like a Seder, when oven space is limited in general. I’m so enamored of the technique, in fact, that I use it for my Thanksgiving turkey as well.

After I spatchcock the chicken, I squeeze the juice of one lemon all over it, inside and out. Then I dry the excess juice from the skin, and season with salt and a good amount (2 tablespoons) of sumac. Although there are about 150 types of sumac plants, the variety typically sold in grocery stores is a fragrant, red powder ground from the berries of the sumac bush. Popular in Middle Eastern cuisine, the spice brings a bright, citrusy flavor to recipes, and here, the coarse texture of the powder helps contribute to the overall crispiness of the chicken skin, which is, after all, the goal. (If you are cooking for Passover, be sure the sumac is labeled Kosher for Passover.)

The roasting method is the final element in the skin-crisping process. I start the oven hot — 400°F — and the blast of heat immediately begins to go to work on the skin. Once the crisping is well underway (after about 40 minutes), I lower the oven temperature to 375°F to ensure that the meat stays perfectly juicy. At this point, I add vegetables to roast in the lemony, sumac-scented schmaltz that’s rendered from the chicken. In about 20 minutes, the vegetables — usually potatoes and shallots, but many root vegetables are welcome at this party — absorb a ton of flavor while getting soft and crunchy in all the right places. A bit of resting time also helps make sure the chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

That’s the chicken stock I use for the following week, and, if I happen to find myself with a surplus of stock, I’ll store the excess in deli containers in the freezer. I’m also careful to reserve any drippings, separating the liquid from the fat (schmaltz), both of which are full of flavor and, thus, precious. If I don’t have an immediate use for them, I’ll store them, labeled and dated, in the freezer. Depending on how big the bird and how hungry the family, I may also have a cup or two of chicken meat left over. I’ll use that for soup or a quick chicken salad for lunch later in the week. The important thing is to honor the bird by not wasting a single bit of it.