Souvla, San Francisco’s popular, casual Greek restaurant chain, was inspired by the souvlaki traditions of Greece. Souvla chef and partner Tony Cervone — the chef de cuisine at Kokkari Estiatorio for nearly a decade — has perfected the simple and satisfying art of roasting meat a la souvla, i.e., on a spit or skewer.
Of course, not all of us have a spit or rotisserie in our kitchen. But Cervone has some tips for roasting the perfect chicken anyway, starting with a simple, overnight brine for the bird in a mixture of feta, salt and water. The day of, “let the chicken rest at room temp an hour before putting it on the rotisserie or in the oven,” he says. “This saves the chicken from getting dark/burnt earlier than you want it to.”
To amp up the flavors a little more, Cervone says, “If I am oven-roasting it, I like to put mixed herbs (thyme, rosemary, bay, fresh oregano), lemon slices and parboiled baby potatoes in the cavity of the bird to roast along with it. When it is done, the herbs and chicken jus make for some lovely potatoes to serve along with it.”
Here’s the basic how-to:
Souvla’s Feta-Brined Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled, divided use
3½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
1 whole chicken, 3½ to 4 pounds
1 to 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons dried Greek oregano
2 large lemons
¼ cup olive oil, more as needed
1 large bunch arugula or other sturdy salad greens, for serving
Directions
The day before serving, combine 2 ounces feta, 2 teaspoons salt and 4 cups water in a blender and blend until smooth. Put chicken in an extra-large resealable plastic bag or container large enough to submerge the bird, and add the feta brine to cover. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
Remove chicken from brine and transfer to a towel-lined tray. (Discard brine.) Pat chicken dry with paper towels and allow to come to room temperature for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1½ teaspoons salt, pepper, oregano and the zest of the lemons (about 1 tablespoon). Liberally cover chicken in herb mix and gently massage entire bird. Cut lemons in half; place 3 halves in the chicken’s cavity (save remaining half for serving). Using kitchen twine, tie legs together.
Place a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat until it just smokes. Place chicken, breast-side up, in the pan. Transfer entire pan to oven. Cook, basting once or twice, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes.
Remove pan from oven. Stir remaining crumbled feta into juices in pan and stir well. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes in the pan before slicing and serving on a bed of greens, with feta-laced pan juices on top, drizzled with a little lemon juice from the reserved lemon half.
— Tony Cervone, Souvla
