Jan Birnbaum's Roasted Chicken on Summer Greens with Corn

Ingredients

Marinade/Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1/2 bunch tarragon, leaves finely chopped
• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons melted bacon fat
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4 to 6-pound) chicken
• 2 tablespoons Seasoning Mix, recipe follows

Stuffing:

• 1 medium onion, cut into thirds
• 2 bay leaves, broken up
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 head garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 lemon, cut into eighths
• Big pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 20 whole black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup rice flour (all-purpose flour may be substituted)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 small fresh shucked oysters
• 10 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 1/2 cups canned piquillo peppers or roasted red peppers, diced
• 4 green onions, green part only, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 8 cups arugula

Directions

To make the marinade, combine the vinegars, lemon juice, garlic, shallots, and tarragon. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and bacon fat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Coat chicken inside and out with 1 cup of the marinade and refrigerate, covered, overnight. Reserve the remaining marinade for the vinaigrette.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard marinade. Season chicken inside and out with 1 1/2 tablespoons seasoning mix. Mix the stuffing ingredients, and stuff it into the chicken. Truss the chicken and roast for 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the bird to continue to cook in the oven for about 20 more minutes.

Season the rice flour with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon seasoning mix. Toss the oysters in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat the oil in a shallow saute pan. Brown the oysters in the fat, about 1 minute on each side. Drain on paper towels and immediately season with salt.

Put the butter into a small skillet over medium heat and saute the corn for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the piquillo peppers, green onions, parsley and reserved marinade to make the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Toss the greens with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Top the greens with chicken, oysters, and the remaining vinaigrette. Serve and enjoy.

Chef's tip: Marinate the chicken in a sealed plastic bag.

2 tablespoons kosher salt

3 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Blend seasoning mix ingredients. Set aside.