I was reading several food magazines recently and came across a few articles for chicken cooked in a skillet and weighted down by another skillet.
I thought, “humm, this sounds interesting, a new take on chicken cooked under a brick.”
If you are like me, you have two pans, but no brick in your kitchen After much research and trial and error, I came up with the following recipe. It makes a succulent chicken with a crispy skin.
The marinating and searing the chicken at high heat are responsible.
You may easily round out your meal with store bought gravy, or homemade, if you have the time to make it, braised endive, baked potatoes and store-bought Angel food cake and you have a delicious meal that may be served for family and friends.
This skillet roasted chicken is your “little black dress” of chicken dinners, it maybe dressed up or down depending on who is being entertained.
Menu
Serves 4
Skillet Roasted Chicken
Gravy*
Braised Endive
Baked Potatoes*
Angel Food Cake with Berries
*Recipe Not Given
Skillet Roasted Chicken
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup distilled white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup kosher salt
3 tblsps. chopped fresh parsley
2 tblsps. Hungarian Sweet Paprika
1 tblsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 3 1/2 – 4 lb. chicken cut in half
1. Puree garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt, parsley, paprika, pepper, sugar and 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a blender until smooth. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag and pour marinade over. Seal bag and refrigerate chicken 1-3 days. (the longer the better)
2. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Let sit, uncovered, at room temperature 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat remaining vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Place 1 chicken half, skin side down, in skillet, set another skillet or heavy pot on top and add a couple of cans to weigh it down. Cook until skin is browned and crisp, 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken half.
4. Roast chicken in oven,skin side up, until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
Braised Endive
6 medium endive, sliced in
half, long way
4 tblsps. sweet butter
Salt and fresh white pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Trim the base of the endives. Discard any dark spotted leaves.
3. Butter a porcelain baking dish. Place endive in dish, cut side up.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with chicken stock. Dot with remaining butter. Cover dish with a buttered rectangle of aluminum foil.
5. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, approximately 15 more minutes.
Angel Food Cake with Berries
1 Angel Food Cake,
store bought, sliced
2 pints berries of your choice,
i.e. blueberries, blackberries,
strawberries)
Lemon Zest to taste
1. Place berries in a bowl large enough to accommodate them.
2. Sprinkle with lemon zest, stir. Refrigerate until serving.
3. Serve over Angel Food Cake.
Alexandra Troy is owner of Culinary Architect Catering, a 32-year old Greenvale-based company, specializing in private, corporate and promotional parties. For more photos and presentation ideas, follow Culinary Architect Catering on Facebook.
