Roast Half Chicken with Cashew Tarator and Celery

Ingredients:

Spicy Walnuts:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large egg white
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 cups walnut halves

Cashew Tarator:
2 cups cashews
1 ¼-inch-thick slice white bread, torn
1 garlic clove, finely grated
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ cup olive oil
Kosher salt

Chicken And Assembly:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more
½ 3½–4-pound chicken (backbone removed)
Kosher salt
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced, plus ¼ cup celery leaves
1 tablespoon mixed unsalted, roasted seeds (such as pumpkin, sunflower, and/or hemp)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

Spicy Walnuts:

1.Preheat oven to 300°. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium, remove from heat, and mix in salt and cayenne. Whisk egg white in a medium bowl until soft peaks form; stir in brown sugar. Add seasoned butter and walnuts and fold to coat nuts.

2.Spread nuts out on a parchment–lined rimmed baking sheet; bake, tossing every 10 minutes or so, until mixture is dry and nuts are toasted, 25–30 minutes. Let cool. 


3.Do Ahead: Walnuts can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Cashew Tarator:

4.Increase oven temperature to 350°. Toast cashews on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool.

5.Pulse cashews, bread, garlic, lemon juice, coriander, and ¾ cup water in a food processor to combine. With motor running, stream in oil; process just to incorporate. Pulse, adding a splash or so of water if too thick, until a coarse purée forms; season with salt.


6.Do Ahead: Cashew tarator can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

Chicken And Assembly:

7.Increase oven temperature to 475°. Heat butter and 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Once butter is foaming, place chicken in pan, skin side up. Tilt pan and spoon butter mixture over chicken until the entire surface is coated. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and transfer to oven. Roast chicken, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°, 25–30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.

8.Meanwhile, toss celery, celery leaves, mixed seeds, lemon juice, and ½ cup spicy walnuts in a medium bowl. Drizzle with oil, season with salt, and toss again.
 

9.Spoon tarator onto a platter and top with celery salad and chicken.