Sumac Chicken & Bread Salad
When I saw this recipe for Sumac Chicken and Bread
Salad on Chowhound I knew I had to try it. Sumac spice is found in Persian recipes.
Most people aren't familiar with it. Ground sumac is sometimes called "powdered
culinary sumac". It has a tart sour lemon flavor and a dark burgundy color.
This
is a perfect summertime dish and excellent for entertaining family and friends.
It's flavorful and light.
The chicken is flattened and marinated in a
sumac paste. It is then baked over the bread. The skin of the chicken becomes
crisp and the chicken wonderfully flavored with the sumac. Some of the bread becomes
soft from the juices of the chicken, some remain hard. The bread becomes what
my friend called the "ultimate croutons" when fresh tomatoes and cucumber
are added.
Please
read my "cook's notes" following the recipe.
Sumac
Chicken & Bread Salad
INGREDIENTS
1 (3- to 3-1/2-pound) chicken
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground sumac
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 large red
onions (about 1 pound), sliced thinly
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2
tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 pounds dense bread (such as
farm bread or pane de casa), cut into 1-inch cubes
3 Kirby cucumbers, quartered
lengthwise, cut into 1/4-inch slices, and tossed with a big pinch of salt
1 large ripe summer tomato, cored and cut into chunks
Juice of 1/2 lemon,
or to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut
the back bone out of the chicken with kitchen shears and flatten the chicken.
Season it generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Make a paste with the
sumac and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and rub the paste into both sides of the
chicken. Refrigerate on a plate—no need to cover—for about 8 hours.
Or, if you haven’t planned ahead, just leave the seasoned chicken on the
counter while you prepare the onions and bread.
Heat the oven to 375°F.
Put the onions
and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high
heat. Salt the onions and cook, stirring once in a while, until they are limp
and turning gold at the edges, around 9 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley, and
cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scrape the onions into a large mixing bowl
and add the cubed bread. Toss.
Oil a casserole dish large enough to hold the bread in a single layer (I use a
12-inch round terra-cotta dish). Scrape in the bread and onions, and spread them
out. Set the chicken on top of the bread and roast for 1 hour.
Set the chicken on a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Scrape
the bread out into a big mixing bowl and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Add
the cucumbers and tomato, squeeze in the lemon juice, and toss. Check for salt
and pepper, and add more lemon juice if you want.
Pile
the salad onto a platter. Cut the chicken into quarters and arrange it around
the salad. It’s ready to serve.
Cook's notes:
I did not rub the sumac paste under the chicken skin. I will do it next time.
I did marinate the chicken for 8 hours. This may be why it was so successful for
me. I don't think you'd get the same flavor from a short marinade time. I stopped
into two local bakeries and could not find farm bread or pane de casa so I used
a combination of ciabatta and bakery made whole wheat, it worked well. Do NOT
salt the onions while they are cooking! This will make them release their juices
and they will never brown. Salt them AFTER they have turned golden brown.
Make sure you buy LARGE onions. You'll want a lot as they really add to the dish.
I used grape tomatoes and halved them. I baked this in a 4 qt. (9x13x2) roasting
pan.
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You can find sumac at
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spice sample of your choice click
here .
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