Sunday, January 19, 2020

Skillet Roast Chicken & Potatoes



Roast chicken is a great dish - it’s tasty, looks impressive, and is sooo easy to make! Ina Garten is famous for making her husband a roast chicken every Friday night. And, you know how much I love Ina - so I’ve roasted many a chicken. 

I’ve usually gone the traditional way of cooking on a roasting pan, but the grease always drips and the oven gets smoky. This recipe is great because the grease drips into the skillet and flavors the potatoes. Delightful. Yukon gold potatoes are perfect for this dish. The outsides really do get crispy and the inside is so creamy and tender. I love this is a one-skillet meal. But, please, PLEASE remember that the handle is hot! You have to take the skillet out to remove the chicken and then put it back in the oven to finish the potatoes. I have burned my hand several times because I forgot the handle is lava hot. So, now, I put a pot holder over the handle as a gentle reminder. Learn from my mistakes.

Total time to make this dish is 90 minutes (1 hours of which is inactive time!)...plus it all happens in one dish. I even make this dinner on weeknights when I’m waiting for everyone to come home from activities.

Skillet Roast Chicken and Potatoes
From America’s Test Kitchen


3 T olive oil
2 t minced fresh thyme
1 1/2 t smoked paprika
1/12 t grated lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving
Salt & pepper
1 (4-lb) whole chicken, giblets removed
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced in 1-in thick rounds


1. Preheat oven to 400º with racks in lower third of oven.
2. Toss potatoes in large bowl with 1 1/2 t salt & 1/2 t pepper.
3. Arrange potatoes cut-side down in 12-in, oven-safe skillet over med-high heat and cook potatoes for 8-9 minutes. Don’t flip!
4. While potatoes are cooking, combine spices together with 2 T olive oil in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry and distribute oil/spice mixture under and on top of the skin. Tie up the legs with twine.
5. When potatoes have a nice crust on the bottom, place the chicken (breast-side up) on top of the potatoes and transfer skillet to the oven.
6. Cook for 50-75min - until breast registers 160º (or thighs 175º).
7. When chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from the oven and tent on a carving board. Return skillet to the oven and cook the potatoes for an additional 20 minutes.
8. When potatoes are done, carve the chicken and serve with potatoes and lemon wedges.

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