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• Roast Chicken with Bread Salad
• Sgroppino
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Roast Chicken with Bread Salad

Ever wonder what you could do with those grocery store rotisserie chickens that would pass muster for company?  Here you go…the trimmings on this recipe can flex with the season and what you have on hand.  See notes for additional ideas.  The star of this show is the huge, delicious bread croutons, moistened with vinaigrette and chicken drippings.

For 4 at least

One rotisserie roasted chicken
(try to get one with lots of pan juices in the container)
2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
¼ cup chicken stock

For the Salad:

About ½ pound slightly stale, chewy peasant-style bread
6-8 Tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 tablespoons dried currants
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon warm water
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2-3 garlic cloves, slivered
¼ cup slivered scallions (about 4) included some of the green part
2 Tablespoons chicken stock
Salad greens

For the salad:

Several hours ahead:  Cut off the bottom crust and most of the top and side crusts.and cut the bread into several large chunks.  Brush  all over with olive oil and broil very briefly to crisp and lightly color the surface.  Turn  the chunks over and crisp the other side, then tear the chunks into irregular pieces, large chunks, bite sized bits and fat crumbs.  You should have about 4 cups.

Combine about ¼ cup of the olive oil with the white vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss about ¼ cup of this vinaigrette with the torn bread…it will be unevenly dressed.

Put the currants in a small bowl and moisten with the red wine vinegar and warm water.  Set aside.

Assemble: 

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Cut the chicken into serving pieces.  Transfer the pan juices in the container to a small pan and add the oil or butter and the chicken stock.  Warm it.

Warm the pine nuts for a couple of minutes in the hot oven and then add then to the bread chunks.

Warm a spoonful of the olive oil in a small skillet, add the garlic and scallions and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until softened.  Scrape into the bread and fold to combine.  Drain the currants and fold in.  Dribble the warm drippings/oil/stock lightly over the bread and toss again.

Pile the bread salad into the oven for 5-10 minutes to warm.

Transfer the bread salad to a big salad bowl, add the greens, another drizzle of the vinaigrette and fold again.  Serve the chicken on the top or the side.

More ideas:

Forget the currants.  Use sizzled cherry tomatoes instead.  Or dried figs.

Cheeses can be added:  blue cheese with the tomatoes, goat cheese with the figs.

Herbs are always a nice addition.

Any roasted vegetables would be delicious….serve it all on a platter instead of bowl.

I love avocado with any kind of salad.