Roast Chicken With Chicken Livers

Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (3 3/4-4 lb) whole chickens
• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped thyme
• salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 20 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 teaspoons coarsely crushed black peppercorns
• 1/4 lb chicken liver, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped gaeta olives (we only had black olives!)
• 1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°f
• 2 set the chicken in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it.
• 3 sprinkle the thyme in the cavity and season the bird inside and out with salt.
• 4 tie the legs together.
• 5 pour the olive oil over the chicken and scatter the garlic cloves and peppercorns in the pan.
• 6 roast the chicken for about 20 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and golden.
• 7 transfer the garlic to a coarse sieve set over a small saucepan.
• 8 roast the chicken for about 1 hour longer, or until the juices in the cavity run clear.
• 9 tip the chicken in the pan to drain the juices, then transfer the bird to a carving board and cover loosely with foil.
• 10 skim the fat from the pan juices and reserve 1 tablespoon.
• 11 press the garlic through the sieve into the saucepan and pour in the pan juices with the peppercorns.
• 12 in a medium skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of reserved fat just until smoking.
• 13 add the chicken livers, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and cook over high heat until browned on both sides and pink in the center, about 1 minute.
• 14 add the livers to the pan sauce and bring the sauce to a simmer.
• 15 season with salt and remove from the heat.
• 16 carve the chicken and arrange on plates.
• 17 spoon the sauce on top, garnish with the olives and parsley and serve.