Deeply seared and roasted chicken cooked with fingerling potatoes and tons of fresh herbs all in one pan – perfectly easy and hearty for those cold winter nights.
The cold weather is finally upon us in New York – not that I’m complaining about its delay – and to me cold weather equals comfort food. And not only comfort food, but easy food. I can’t think of anything more comforting and as deceptively easy as this one pan roasted chicken.
The reasons I love this dish could go on and on; it encompasses a whole meal in just one pan, and one pan makes for incredibly easy clean up. And a whole meal in one pan means it covers all the basic food groups; chicken = meat, potatoes = carbs, herbs = vegetables (kinda… or just serve with a side salad). Not only that, but food that’s hot and hearty and fresh out of the oven like this roasted chicken always warms me to the bone on cold winter nights. And of course, leftover chicken is delicious cold.
Really my list could go on and on, so I’ll just stop there. Part of what makes one pan roasted chicken so special and so easy is the use of the cast iron skillet, and because of that this dish reminds me of my dad. Not because he loves chicken – actually he hates chicken – but because throughout my lifetime my dad has taught me how to use a cast iron skillet and how to use it well.
A cast iron skillet is perfect for this one pan roasted chicken dish because it conducts heat incredibly well allowing you to achieve that deep brown sear on the chicken, and then evenly roast the chicken in the oven. Plus, its naturally non stick, and using a skillet will hold in all those juices from the chicken to let the potatoes roast in them. What more could you want on a cold winter’s night?
- 2 lb bone in skin on chicken pieces
- 1 lb fingerling potatoes
- 3 sprigs Rosemary, leaves stripped and minced
- 3 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and minced
- 1 handful parsley, leaves stripped and minced
- 1 lemon
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Liberally salt and pepper the chicken. Add olive oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Deeply sear chicken on all sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Over medium heat, sauté fingerling potatoes in the chicken drippings. Liberally salt and pepper, add rosemary, thyme and half the parsley, and sauté until evenly browned, 5-7 minutes.
- Move all potatoes to one side of pan and add the chicken back to the pan (it's okay if it overlaps, it's already browned). Squeeze juice of one lemon over the chicken, and add half the lemon cut side down to the pan to roast (optional). Put pan in oven and roast until an internal thermometer in the chicken reaches 165, 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and top with remaining parsley, and more juice from roasted lemon. Allow chicken to rest before serving.
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