This recipe by Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle is so simple and the chicken is so juicy because it’s initially roasted with the breast side down, allowing the fat from the dark meat to drip down onto the breast, keeping it moist and juicy. The chicken is roasted on a bed of sliced onions that soak up the chicken drippings and become caramelized. The onions are then pureed with chicken broth to form a decadent sauce. It's the simplest and probably healthiest gravy you can make and it happens to be gluten-free! I like to use the leftover chicken meat and chicken bones to make broth and soup later in the week.
You will need:
- An oven-safe dish to comfortably fit a whole chicken
- 1 whole chicken
- 4 yellow onions sliced 1/4 inch slices
- 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups chicken broth.
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 375° Add 1/2 Tbsp olive oil to empty casserole dish and cover with onion slices. Place chicken, breast side down on top of onion bed and brush with remaining 1/2 Tbsp olive oil.
Roast chicken 30 mins breast side down and then flip chicken and roast until done (20 mins per pound). Occasionally check on onions while chicken is roasting to make sure they don't dry out. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth if needed. Once chicken is fully cooked, remove from oven and place bird on a cutting board and cover with foil to keep warm.
Scrape the caramelized onions and chicken drippings into a blender or food processor and add the chicken broth. Blend until pureed. Serve onion gravy with the chicken. I recommend serving with a side of brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.
