From Diva To Understudy - Bacon-Roasted Chicken

Ok, I have to say it – there’s no bad bacon. All bacon is absolutely delicious and should be made an honorary vegetable. But there is great bacon. Star of The Show bacon. (Get the thick cut bacon at D’artagnan if you want great). But I still experiment in case there’s a better one. That’s what happened last week.

I bought a very expensive, hoity-toity-looking bacon at Wegman’s. After one bite with coffee, I realized that it was not great and was only meant to be part of a supporting cast – not the star.

So bring in the star – a beautiful whole chicken. Supporting cast: hoity-toity bacon and fresh sage from my garden.

It’s classic, rustic, deeply savory and it makes your house smell wonderful. Nothing fancy, just good ingredients doing what they do best.

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken (around 4–5 pounds)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4-5 small potatoes

Black pepper

A large handful of fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

12 strips bacon

METHOD

First render the bacon, setting the fat aside. After patting the chicken dry and seasoning it with a little pepper (inside and out).

Cut the potatoes into quarters for roasting – no need to peel unless you choose to.

Cut the onion into wedges.

Lay the onions and potatoes in a roasting pan. I even threw the giblets in there for a little extra flavor. But of course, that’s not necessary.

Stuff the sage into the cavity of the chicken.

Lift the skin of the chicken gently and place half the bacon fat under the skin. Place the chicken on top of the veggies and brush it all over with a little more bacon fat.

Sprinkle the bacon garlic mixture over the chicken and over the vegetables.

I roasted the chicken at 450 for the first 10 minutes, then lowered it to 350 for about another hour, basting once or twice and checking for doneness (165°F in the thickest part of the thigh). The bacon did most of the heavy lifting, giving the skin an irresistible crackle.

This worked beautifully for a couple of reasons. The sage cuts through the richness of the bacon, the onion brings sweetness, and the jus gets into the potatoes to flavor them perfectly. The whole bird stays juicy with the help of its supporting cast – the bacon. It’s simple enough for a weeknight but hearty enough to anchor a Sunday dinner.

If you’re feeling even more decadent, a simple gravy with these flavors would be gorgeous. I figured I’d been decadent enough for one day.