Stovetop Roast Chicken with Spicy Thai Sauce
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 19, 2011
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 brothSpicy Thai Sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice ¼ cup light brown sugar 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 teaspoon red curry paste 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leavesBefore You Begin
A whole 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, can be used instead of the chicken parts. Use a splatter screen when browning the chicken.
Instructions
- 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.
- 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 of chicken registers 155 degrees for breasts and 170 degrees for legs and thighs, 10 to 16 minutes (smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces). Transfer chicken to plate, skin-side up.
- Pour off liquid from skillet into 2-cup measuring cup and reserve. Using tongs, wipe skillet with paper towels. Add remaining teaspoon oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Return chicken pieces skin-side down and cook undisturbed until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and it reaches 160 degrees for breasts and 175 degrees for legs and thighs, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Using spoon, skim fat from reserved cooking liquid and add enough broth to measure 3/4 cup.
- Add 2 tablespoons lime juice, sugar, garlic, fish sauce, and curry paste to now-empty skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until spoon leaves wide trail when dragged through sauce, about 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking liquid; return to simmer and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in any accumulated juices from resting chicken; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in cilantro and remaining tablespoon lime juice. Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.
for the chicken
for the sauce
Time
55 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
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
Spicy Thai Sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon red curry paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
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
Spicy Thai Sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon red curry paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
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
Spicy Thai Sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon red curry paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
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 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, can be used instead of the chicken parts. Use a splatter screen when browning the chicken.
Instructions
- 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.
- 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 of chicken registers 155 degrees for breasts and 170 degrees for legs and thighs, 10 to 16 minutes (smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces). Transfer chicken to plate, skin-side up.
- Pour off liquid from skillet into 2-cup measuring cup and reserve. Using tongs, wipe skillet with paper towels. Add remaining teaspoon oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Return chicken pieces skin-side down and cook undisturbed until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and it reaches 160 degrees for breasts and 175 degrees for legs and thighs, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Using spoon, skim fat from reserved cooking liquid and add enough broth to measure 3/4 cup.
- Add 2 tablespoons lime juice, sugar, garlic, fish sauce, and curry paste to now-empty skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until spoon leaves wide trail when dragged through sauce, about 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking liquid; return to simmer and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in any accumulated juices from resting chicken; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in cilantro and remaining tablespoon lime juice. Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.
for the chicken
for the sauce
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