You may ask your butcher to split the bird and remove the bones if you prefer. Serves 2.
Ingredients
SEASONING MIX
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
CHICKEN
1 whole chicken, about 2 1/2pounds (I use Red Bird)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Juice of half a lemon
Handful fresh herbs (such as thyme,rosemary or sage)
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees if using a convection oven, 500 if using a standard oven. Combine all ingredients for the seasoning mixture.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Flip the chicken onto the breast side and with a pair of kitchen scissors, remove the backbone. Cutting through the breastbone, separate the chicken into two pieces. Cut off any excess skin around the neck area and near the thigh. With a thin knife, scrape the meat away from the thigh bone, exposing the thigh bone. With the help of your knife, twist off the thigh bone. (Or ask your butcher to do it.)
Preheat a large saute pan with the oil until the oil is smoking hot (be sure to turn on your hood fan so you don’t set off your smoke alarm). Season the chicken halves all over with the seasoning mixture. Slide the chicken skin side down into the hot pan, place a brick on top of each chicken half, pressing down on top of the brick, and sear the chicken on top of the stove for about 30 seconds.
Slide the whole pan — chicken, bricks and all — into the hot oven. Cook skin side down — 12 minutes for a convection oven, 15 minutes for a regular oven — then remove the brick and flip the chicken over. Cook the chicken skin side up — 8 minutes for a convection oven, 10 minutes for a regular oven — or until the juices in the thigh run clear.
Remove the chicken from the oven. If you want a crisp chicken, serve right away. If you want a more deeply flavored chicken with a semi-crisp skin, add the butter to the pan, along with the juice of half a lemon and the herbs and baste the chicken for about 30 seconds (I like to use a big chef’s spoon for the task) and serve immediately.
