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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 35 mins
Cal/Serv:
740
In my house (apartment), Sunday evening is synonymous with a roast chicken dinner. That means I have 52 chances to prove there’s always something new you can create with the humble chicken. In this case, the paprika-dusted chicken is roasted on a bed of herby, sliced red onions and whole garlic cloves until the onions are jammy sweet with a little char and the chicken is cooked through and juicy. I could have easily stopped there, but the real magic is in the savory-sweet, spoonable sauce that the onions transform into. Blending the chicken fat-roasted, charred onions with butter, sweet white vinegar, and crushed red pepper yields a creamy, umami-rich sauce that makes the chicken even more succulent.
Serve this sheet-pan red onion roast chicken with a side of chili-oil smashed potatoes or roasted Brussels sprouts for a Sunday dinner you’ll be thinking about all week.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
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Ingredients
- 4
medium red onions, sliced into 3/4"-thick wedges
- 4
cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 Tbsp.
chopped fresh sage
- 1 Tbsp.
chopped fresh thyme, plus more for serving
- 1 Tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 1
(3 1/2- to 4-lb.) whole chicken, or 8 assorted chicken pieces
- 2 tsp.
paprika
- 1 Tbsp.
unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp.
sweet white vinegar
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
- Step 1Arrange a rack in center of oven (with no rack above it); preheat to 450°. Place a baking sheet on rack to preheat.
- Step 2In a large bowl, combine onions, garlic, sage, thyme, and oil; season with salt and black pepper. Toss until coated, separating some but not all of the onion layers.
- Step 3Pat chicken dry; season all over with paprika, 4 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper. Arrange chicken breast side up. Tie legs together with kitchen twine (optional) and tuck wing tips underneath.
- Step 4Remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer onion mixture to sheet and arrange in an even layer. Place chicken on top of onions in center of sheet.
- Step 5Roast chicken and onions, rotating pan halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thigh registers 165°, 60 to 70 minutes.
- Step 6Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Transfer half of the onions and all of the garlic to a blender. Add butter, vinegar, red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 2 Tbsp. water. Blend until smooth.
- Step 7Break chicken down into 8 pieces. Transfer remaining onions to a platter. Place chicken pieces on top. Spoon onion sauce over chicken. Top with thyme.
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