Who needs the drive-thru when real fast food can be made right at home? Fast to cook and inexpensive to buy are skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces. Saute them in butter and herbs, and in less than 30 minutes you'll have something crisp, juicy, and succulent to put on the dinner table. How I make this simple magic:
You can use all-thighs, all-drumsticks, or all-breasts for this recipe. Use a cut-up broiler-fryer chicken if you prefer a mix of dark and white meat. You'll be happy to know that all pieces cook in the same amount of time, and that the breast meat, which normally turns dry and stringy when baked in the oven, will cook to juicy perfection when sauteed in a skillet.
What kind of skillet? Well, if you are cooking just 4 or 5 chicken pieces, a 12-inch-diameter, cast-iron pan will do very nicely. But for a whole, cut-up broiler fryer, or for up to 8 large thighs, a 16-inch electric skillet -- I use this one -- is ideal.
Enough small talk. Let's saute our poulet!
To start, put some butter and olive oil in a suitably-sized skillet, and heat them over a medium-low flame. If you are using an electric skillet, set the temperature to 250°F.
When the butter melts, sprinkle some salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence* evenly over the surface of the pan. This way, you won't have to season the individual chicken pieces.
*You can find Herbes de Provence at any decent supermarket. Look for it in the spice/dried herb aisle.
Put the chicken, skin-side down, in the skillet, allowing a little air space between each piece. If the chicken is too crowded in the pan, the pieces won't brown properly, and the skins won't crisp. If you wish, you can sprinkle a tiny amount of salt, pepper, and herbes de provence on the exposed flesh.
Now cover the skillet, and let the chicken sizzle quietly for 15 minutes. If the sizzling sounds are robust, lower the heat.
Then remove the cover, and flip the pieces over. The skin should be crisp by now, and colored appetizingly. Cover the skillet again, and continue cooking until the pieces are done -- 5 to 7 minutes.
At this point, you can remove the chicken to a platter, and pour the pan juices over all. Garnish with fresh, minced parsley, and serve.
Or, for a more-sophisticated sauce, do what I sometimes do, and spill a splash of vermouth (or any white wine) into the hot skillet, and let it boil while you "deglaze" the pan.
When you deglaze, you scrape up, with a heat-proof spatula, all the bits of meat and herbs which have stuck to the pan.
If you are French, you can add a splash of heavy cream to the sauce. Let the sauce boil and reduce until it is thick enough to coat a spoon -- about 2 minutes. Then either pour the sauce over the chicken, or just return the pieces to the pan. When you plate each serving, be sure to spoon some sauce over the top of the chicken, along with a pinch of fresh, minced parsley.
Yum.
Crispy outside, juicy and succulent inside, and perfumed with the invigorating scents of Herbes de Provence, these sauteed chicken pieces are THE BOMB. They're also gluten-free and low-carb. For accompaniments, I'd go with buttered quinoa and a simple green salad. For wine, you can't go wrong with a chilled Sancere from the Loire Valley of France.
Need a printable version of the above? Your wish is my command:
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More fast food:
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Apple Salad with Pumpkin Bread Croutons
Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Fresh Mint
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