Carve chicken and return on top of the onions and garlic for serving. Sprinkle the onions and garlic with the dill. My bird got a bit too dark, you can tent with foil if it starts to get too dark for the remainder of the cook time if this happens to you.

Roast the chicken for 50-65 minutes, giving the onions a toss after 30 minutes. Rub the paste all over the chicken – really get into the nooks and crannies and underside of the chicken! Place the chicken breast side up on top of the onions in the skillet. In a small bowl combine 1.5 teaspoon salt** (I used a Kosher chicken so cut back quite a bit on the salt, Molly uses 4 teaspoons in her recipe), 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon black pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil mixing until a paste forms. Adjust garlic heads to they are cut side down in the pan. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil over the onions and garlic, sprinkle with about a teaspoon of salt and toss gently. Cut garlic heads in half and place in skillet nestled with onions. Cut onions into 3/4 inch thick wedges and place in cast iron skillet or roasting pan. Pastrami Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Onions & Dill This is my new favorite Friday night bird. Maybe the best part about this recipe is that it’s so easy to make with ingredients you most likely have on hand. Really delivers maximum Jewish deli vibes. Also, highly recommend serving this with Dijon mustard for slathering, as Molly suggests. The pastrami spice rub is just magical and the synergy of the schmaltzy red onions with the dill made me feel like I was eating a bowl of matzo ball soup with my pastrami sandwich (my go-to order). All delicious, but this friggen chicken recipe blew my mind and transported me to one of my all time favorite places – Second Avenue Deli. I’ve tried a lot of recipes over the years – from the Ina classic with fennel and carrots to Peruvian-style with a green sauce to Portuguese piri piri, Israeli with zaatar and lemon to the cult-favorite Zuni Café rendition. Just like Ina, I too make a roast chicken for dinner pretty much every Friday night. Thankfully, my Molly Baz loving friend bought the book and sent me the recipe – bless her. I don’t even own the book yet (it’s in my cart, don’t worry), but I knew the moment I laid eyes on this dish (on Insta) that I needed this chicken in my life. This recipe, from Molly Baz’s new cookbook, was love at first sight.

Molly baz cookbook recipes