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Roast chicken with schmaltzy cabbage
Adjusted as cooked by Cecily McAndrews when we visited for dinner over the holiday break in late 2022.
Ingredients
- 1 large head (2 1/2 pounds) red cabbage ( but could use green)
- Splash of oil, any kind
- Kosher salt (about 1tbsp)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 whole chicken (~3 lbs)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- A lemon
Directions
- Heat your oven to 450ºF.
- Halve your cabbage and slice each half into 1 to 1.5-inch thick slabs.
- Very thinly coat the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet pan with oil, just to keep the cabbage from sticking before juices trickle down.
- Arrange cabbage slices tightly in the pan as if you were making a mosaic, cutting pieces down as needed to get them to fit.
- Season cabbage with salt and pepper.
- Pat your chicken dry and rub or brush it with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Generously salt and pepper the chicken all over.
- Place chicken breast side-up over the cabbage and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, spooning the bird and cabbage around it with butter a few times throughout.
- Chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 155ºF, or 165ºF for the thigh. If your chicken is much larger and you find it’s getting too dark for your tastes, reduce the heat to 425.
- Lift the chicken off the cabbage and set on a plate (or warmed tray) to rest.
- Flip each section of cabbage over carefully in the pan, nestling them back in, and return the pan to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 450ºF, until the edges are very dark brown. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Cut chicken into pieces and serve with the cabbage, finishing everything with a squeeze of lemon.
Reference