AP Food Editor J.M. Hirsch said his recipe for a romantic picnic is a roasted chicken with sandwich trimmings.

Start out by following his couldn’t-be-easier recipe for cast-iron skillet roasted whole chicken. The gist is that you split the bird at the backbone (technically called spatchcocking, but that just seems inappropriate in this context), sear it breast side down on the stovetop, then flip the bird and finish it in the oven.

When the chicken is cooked, you let it cool, then you cover it and refrigerate it right in the pan. You even can do the roasting the night before.

Add a bottle of wine and the chilled chicken and you’re good to go. At the picnic, you set out everything and leisurely sip and assemble sandwiches (or just nibble). Because when the idea is to woo, it’s hard to beat whipping out a whole roasted chicken complete with sandwich supplies.

CAST-IRON SKILLET ROASTED CHICKEN

Of course this recipe also works for a weeknight dinner. The chicken comes out terrifically moist and tender. And because the chicken is flattened before it is cooked, it is finished much faster than traditional roasting methods.

Start to finish: 50 minutes (10 minutes active)

Servings: 8

4-pound whole chicken

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

½ tablespoon dried thyme

½ tablespoon ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 425 F.

Place the chicken on the cutting board breast side down. Use sturdy kitchen shears to cut down the length of the spine on both sides. Discard the spine. Turn the bird breast side up. Gripping the 2 cut sides where the spine used to be, open up the bird, pressing down firmly at the center to flatten it.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, garlic powder, thyme and pepper. Rub the mixture evenly over the entire chicken.

Set a large cast-iron skillet on a burner over medium-high. When the skillet is hot, add the chicken breast side down. Let the chicken brown for 5 minutes, then use tongs to carefully flip the bird so the breast side is up. Set the skillet in the oven and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the thickest part reaches 165 F.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Either serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate for use in a picnic as described above.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 490 calories; 310 calories from fat (63 percent of total calories); 34 g fat (10 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 170 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrate; 42 g protein; 0 g fiber; 880 mg sodium.