Dinner: Roast Chickens and Sausages for a Crowd

Recipe by Natalie Chanin & Butch Anthony One of the centerpieces of Butch Anthony's outdoor dining room is a massive firepit-grill outfitted with vintage Dutch ovens, which were buried in embers to cook these chickens. We've adapted the method for a regu

Ingredients

1/2 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper
2 bay leaves
10 sprigs rosemary, divided
1 orange, halved
2 (3 1/2 –4-pound) chickens
1 large apple, quartered
1 large onion, unpeeled, quartered
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 pounds sausages (such as andouille) or tasso
6 large shallots, unpeeled, halved

Instructions

Bring salt, pepper, bay leaves, 4 rosemary sprigs, and 10 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Squeeze juice from orange halves into pot, add orange halves, and stir to combine. Let brine cool.
Place each chicken in a large resealable plastic bag and divide brine between bags; seal. Chill chickens 12 –24 hours.
Preheat oven to 425 °F. Remove chickens from brine and pat dry; discard brine. Scatter remaining 6 rosemary sprigs in a large roasting pan. Place chickens on top of rosemary sprigs and divide apple and onion between cavities of each bird. Brush chickens with melted butter and arrange sausages and shallots around each chicken.
Pour 1/2 cup water into pan and roast chickens, turning occasionally so they brown evenly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh registers 165 °F, 50 –60 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes.
Carve chickens and slice sausages; transfer to a platter. Arrange shallots alongside, then pour any pan juices over.

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