Roasted Chicken With Bacon-Glazed Brussels Sprouts And Caramelized Onions
Roasted Chicken With Bacon-Glazed Brussels Sprouts And Caramelized Onions
This is the kind of dish you would order in a restaurant and then return to the restaurant just to order it again. And again. It’s that good.Excerpted from Sheet Pan Paleo (Ulysses Press, 2016) by Pamela Ellgen.
Servings
2
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup rendered bacon fat, melted
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup, divided
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, rinsed, outer leaves removed, and halved
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
- sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the onions with a pinch of salt until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the maple syrup. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, spread the Brussels sprouts out on a sheet pan. Coat with 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and season generously with salt and pepper. Top with the caramelized onions.
- Lay the chicken out on a cutting board breast-side down. Using a sharp knife or a pair of kitchen shears, cut down each side of the backbone. Remove it and save for another use, such as making stock.
- Season the cut-side of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place it cut-side down on the sheet pan pushing the Brussels sprouts to the sides. Thoroughly dry the chicken skin with paper towels and then pour the remaining bacon fat over it, rubbing with your fingers to coat thoroughly. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a heat- proof bowl and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Cover tightly with foil to keep warm.
- Return the chicken to the oven and roast until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about another 15 minutes. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve with the Brussels sprouts.