Lemon Garlic Chicken with Anchovy Sauce
This recipe is all about the sauce. Use whatever cuts of chicken you prefer, or as I did, roast the whole bird! The sauce elevates a humble chicken to an elegant and sublime dish.
Ingredients
- 1 whole Chicken, I used a 5 3/4 lb. bird
- 2 tsp. coarse Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 12 cloves Garlic, minced; set 2 minced cloves aside for later use
- 1/2 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 2 oz. can Anchovies, drained
- 4 Tbsp. Capers, drained
- 1 Lemon, divided in half. You will use both the zest and juice.
- 1 tsp. New Mexican chili powder Or chili of your choice, but the flavor and heat level does make a difference.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Spatchcock the chicken. Remove wing tips. Save the spine and tips for chicken broth.
- Generously salt and pepper the bird. Zest 1/2 of a lemon on the underside. Flip the bird and zest the other half on the top of the chicken. Set aside while you make the sauce.
- Mince two cloves of garlic and set aside for a later use. Mince the additional 10 cloves of garlic.
- Over medium-high, gently heat 1/2 cup olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add 10 cloves of minced garlic, the can of drained anchovies, drained capers, chili, 1/2 of a juiced lemon, and 1 Tbsp. of butter. Let cook, stirring to break up the anchovies, until the garlic just begins to brown around the edges; 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook the garlic as it can become bitter. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Spoon a generous amount of sauce on the underside of the bird and place in the same pan you made the sauce in. Spoon the rest of the sauce over the top of the bird. Tuck the lemon pieces under the bird and between the carcass and wings.
- Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Baste the bird with sauce and pan juices and continue cooking for another 45 to 50 minutes until the internal temp on the thickest part of the bird measures 155 degrees.
- Once it reaches temp, brush the capers and any garlic pieces off the top of the bird and broil for 5 minutes to crisp up the skin. Remove the chicken to a platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
- To finish the sauce, once the bird is removed, re-heat the sauce with all pan drippings until it is bubbling. Add 1 more Tbsp. of butter, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and the remaining 2 Tbsp. of minced garlic. Stir to pull up any pan drippings. Strain the sauce and serve over the chicken.