America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Stovetop Roast Chicken with Sake Glaze

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 19, 2011

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Stovetop Roast Chicken with Sake Glaze

Ingredients

Chicken

3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat (see note)Salt and ground black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 - 1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Sake Glaze

3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon cornstarch ¾ cup sake 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

Before You Begin

A whole 3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, can be used instead of the chicken pieces. Use a splatter screen when browning the chicken.

Instructions

    for the chicken

  1. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken pieces skin-side down and cook without moving until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
  2. Using tongs, flip chicken pieces skin-side up. Reduce heat to medium-low, add 3/4 cup broth to skillet, cover, and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part chicken registers 155 degrees for breasts and 170 for legs and thighs, 10 to 16 minutes (smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces). Transfer chicken to plate, skin-side up, as it reaches correct temperature.
  3. Pour off liquid from skillet into 2-cup measuring cup and reserve. Using tongs, wipe skillet with paper towels. Add remaining teaspoon oil to pan and return to medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Return chicken pieces skin-side down and cook undisturbed until skin is deep golden brown and crisp, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving plate and tent loosely with foil. Using spoon, skim fat from surface of reserved cooking liquid, and add enough chicken broth to measure 3/4 cup.
  4. for the glaze

  5. Whisk sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch together in small bowl. Add sake, reserved cooking liquid, and soy sauce mixture to now empty skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 6 minutes. Stir in any accumulated juices from resting chicken; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in butter and scallion. Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.
Stovetop Roast Chicken with Sake Glaze

Stovetop Roast Chicken with Sake Glaze

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken

3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat (see note)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 - 1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Sake Glaze

3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¾ cup sake
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

Ingredients

Chicken

3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat (see note)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 - 1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Sake Glaze

3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¾ cup sake
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

Ingredients

Chicken

3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat (see note)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 - 1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Sake Glaze

3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¾ cup sake
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

Why This Recipe Works

For a stovetop chicken recipe with crisp, golden skin, evenly cooked meat, and a flavorful sauce, we found that searing the chicken, steaming it, and then searing it again gave us the result we were looking for. Once our chicken was cooked and its skin browned, we could use the pan drippings to make our sauce.

Before You Begin

A whole 3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, can be used instead of the chicken pieces. Use a splatter screen when browning the chicken.

Instructions

    for the chicken

  1. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken pieces skin-side down and cook without moving until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
  2. Using tongs, flip chicken pieces skin-side up. Reduce heat to medium-low, add 3/4 cup broth to skillet, cover, and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part chicken registers 155 degrees for breasts and 170 for legs and thighs, 10 to 16 minutes (smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces). Transfer chicken to plate, skin-side up, as it reaches correct temperature.
  3. Pour off liquid from skillet into 2-cup measuring cup and reserve. Using tongs, wipe skillet with paper towels. Add remaining teaspoon oil to pan and return to medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Return chicken pieces skin-side down and cook undisturbed until skin is deep golden brown and crisp, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving plate and tent loosely with foil. Using spoon, skim fat from surface of reserved cooking liquid, and add enough chicken broth to measure 3/4 cup.
  4. for the glaze

  5. Whisk sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch together in small bowl. Add sake, reserved cooking liquid, and soy sauce mixture to now empty skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 6 minutes. Stir in any accumulated juices from resting chicken; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in butter and scallion. Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.