Grilled Chicken, Garlic Scapes, Potatoes, Lambs Lettuce, Lemon, Roasted Garlic
A trip to the farmers market yielded the ingredients to assemble this spring dinner. It didn’t require much: one chicken, a bunch of green garlic, potatoes and lambs lettuce. A good glugg of olive oil, a head of garlic, and a lemon plucked from our tree was all that was needed to bring this meal together. And a skillet and a grill.
Green garlic is young garlic and resembles thick spring onions. Its flavor is buttery and milder than garlic cloves, and it’s delicious roasted and braised. In this preparation, the bulbs and white stalks were tucked under the chicken which nestled in a skillet surrounded by potatoes and the garlic head. The green garlic tips were chopped and tumbled with lemon zest, oil and a pinch of sea salt, for a bright gremolata garnish – and no waste. Lambs lettuce is mild and pleasantly nutty and best simply dressed so as not to overwhelm its delicate flavor. I dressed it lightly with oil and lemon and scattered it around the carved chicken. And the roasted head of garlic? Squeezed into the pan juices for deep flavor and a rich final touch.
Roasted Chicken Platter with Potatoes, Garlic Scapes and Lemony Lambs Lettuce
The beauty of this recipe is its ease of preparation and one-skillet method. The veggies and chicken roast together – either on the grill or in the oven. Other vegetables such as onions and carrots may easily be substituted. Serves 4.
1 (4 pound) chicken
Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound garlic scapes
1 pound small yukon gold potatoes, halved crosswise
1 large head of garlic, outer layers of skin removed, top trimmed by 1/2 inch to expose the cloves.
1 untreated lemon, halved
Salad:
6 ounces lambs lettuce (mache)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. If you have time, season the chicken all over including inside the cavity with salt. Place in a bowl or on a rimmed dish and refrigerate uncovered for a few hours. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Drizzle and coat with olive oil. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
2. Prepare a grill for indirect cooking over medium-high heat (about 400°F/ 200°C). If using an oven, preheat to 400°F.
3. Snip off the green stalks of the garlic scapes and set aside. Place the bulbs, the potatoes and garlic head in a large bowl. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat, then dump the vegetables into a large cast iron skillet (or grill-proof baking dish). Nestle the chicken into the center of the vegetables, breast-side up. Roast over indirect medium-high heat until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through, 1 to 1 1/4 hours, basting occasionally with pan juices and rotating the pan from time to time to ensure even cooking. Remove from heat and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Let rest for 15 minutes.
4. While the chicken rests, squeeze the roasted garlic into the pan and gently mix around to combine with the juices and vegetables.
5. Finely chop the green garlic tips and place in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
6. Place the lambs lettuce in a large bowl. Whisk the oil, lemon juice, mustard and salt in a small bowl. Add to the lambs lettuce and toss to coat.
7. Carve the chicken into serving pieces and arrange on a large serving platter. Arrange the roasted potatoes and garlic scapes around the chicken. Scatter the lambs lettuce around the chicken and vegetables. Spoon some of the pan juices over the chicken and vegetables and sprinkle with the gremolata.
What a fantastic spring meal! You’ve gathered the flavors of the sesaon into an inspired and easy dinner recipe!
Magnificent and mouthwatering! A fabulous dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
Fresh and simple ingredients cooked like this make for a delicious meal.
this looks fabulous! and not to mention pretty on the plate!
And dinner is served. Thanks for making our Monday meal for us.
You are welcome – and thanks for stopping by 🙂
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This is such a beautifully presented dinner. Such clean food. Awww, I love the farmer’s market and I love your assembly of the findings.
Thank you!
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Do you cover the pan during the cooking time? I would like to make this for Mother’s Day—could I cook 3 chickens at the same time ( I have an oval Le Creuset pan-so I think I have the space), how long would you say to cook it for? Thanks so much—looks amazing!!
No, do not cover the pan. And if you are using a grill, close the grill cover. You can certainly cook more than 1 chicken at once, so long as they all fit without overcrowding. Cooking time will vary depending on size of chicken. They are done when juices run clear when thighs are pierced with a knife. Usually 1 to 1/4 hours – possibly more if pans are jammed with chicken and veggies, or the birds are large. Just check for doneness every 10-15 minutes after 1 hour of cooking. Enjoy!
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That looks so healthy and yummy!!!
This looks perfect for the spring!
Simple and beautiful dish… I can’t imagine how good it must be with such fresh and genuine produce.
This looks phenomenal! Perfect for spring and incredibly fresh.
Beautiful, a perfect spring dish. I love roasted chicken, will have to try this one-skillet method!
Lovely – simple yet sumptuous; my favourite kind of recipe. I am now thoroughly confused though about green garlic, scallions, spring onions. I bought what I thought were spring onions at the farmers’ market but they look exactly like your green garlic up above – perhaps the answer is the smell? Sophie
Truly a thing of beauty…bet it was super tasty too!
A lemon plucked from your tree? I am so jealous. Your photos are gorgeous. I found you via Molly O’Neill. I am taking her cooknscribble Food Writing 101 class and she was talking about your wonderful work during our class tonight.
Thank you for visiting, and thank you for commenting!
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How simple and elegant! I love using fresh vegetables to make easy dinners, they’re just so much better than a meal made from supermarket ingredients.