the day before, combine lemon, parsley, thyme, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, honey and salt into a large pot. cover with 1 quart cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the honey and salt dissolve. remove and top with another 1 quart of cold water. let cool completely before moving onto step #2.

when the brine is completely chilled, submerge your chicken breast-side down in the brine. cover and place in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours.

what to do:

remove the chicken and pat dry. let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

meanwhile, preheat oven to 450F.

while you wait, make your butter rub. in a small bowl combine softened butter, chopped herbs and a pinch of flaky salt. set. aside.

next, peel and cut your shallots into quarters. toss them in a 10” cast iron skillet and set aside.

when the oven is warm and the chicken has lost its chill, rub the salty herb butter all over the bird.

place the chicken on the shallots and transfer the pan to the oven. position the bird so the legs are pointing toward the back corner of your oven.

cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the skin turns golden brown and the shallots begin to char and caramelize. remove and add chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. lower the oven to 400F and place the bird back in the oven, this time rotating it to face the opposite back corner. Let cook for another 30-40 minutes, or until juice runs clear and a thermometer inserted behind the leg reads 165F.

remove and cover in foil. rest for 10 minutes. uncover and transfer to a large cutting board. reserve the shallots + their liquids in a small serving dish for the table.

for the first meal of the week, remove the legs and serve with shallot sauce and a nice salad.

after dinner, wrap the remaining bird and keep it in the fridge for the next meal!