Stovetop-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Caper Sauce
By Diane UngerPublished on October 18, 2016
Time
50 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Chicken
2 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed4 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks, trimmedSalt and pepper ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemaryHerb Sauce
2 tablespoons minced capers 2 garlic cloves, minced½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons water ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme Salt and pepperBefore You Begin
For even cooking, it’s important to buy chicken pieces within the specifications given. If you prefer all dark meat, this recipe will work with a total of eight bone-in thighs or drumsticks; if you prefer all white meat, you can use four bone-in breasts. Note that the chicken is started in a cold skillet to give the fat time to render.
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place breasts on cutting board, bone side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Using meat pounder, pound thick ends of breasts to 3/4- to 1-inch thickness. Season all chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side down, in cold 12-inch nonstick skillet and sprinkle with rosemary.
- Cover skillet and place over medium heat. (If using electric stove, preheat burner for 3 minutes on medium heat.) Cook chicken, without moving it, until skin is light golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook, covered, until skin is deep golden brown and crispy and breasts register 160 degrees and thighs/drumsticks register at least 175 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes longer, rotating skillet halfway through cooking. (If using drumsticks, flip them during last 5 minutes of cooking.) Transfer chicken, skin side up, to platter and tent with aluminum foil.
- While chicken rests, pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from skillet. Add capers, garlic, and rosemary and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds, scraping up any browned bits. Off heat, stir in water and lemon zest and juice. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and emulsified.
- Stir in thyme and any accumulated chicken juices; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.
for the chicken
for the herb sauce
Time
50 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Chicken
Herb Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Chicken
Herb Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Chicken
Herb Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To get ultracrispy skin on our bone-in chicken pieces, we dried the chicken well and then placed it skin side down in a cold nonstick skillet. We seasoned the meat with fresh rosemary, covered the skillet, and cooked the chicken over medium heat to render the fat until the skin was light golden brown. Then we increased the heat to medium-high to fully cook the chicken and take the skin to a gorgeous deep golden brown. While the chicken rested, we made an easy pan sauce with capers, garlic, more rosemary, lemon zest and juice, butter, and minced fresh thyme.
Before You Begin
For even cooking, it’s important to buy chicken pieces within the specifications given. If you prefer all dark meat, this recipe will work with a total of eight bone-in thighs or drumsticks; if you prefer all white meat, you can use four bone-in breasts. Note that the chicken is started in a cold skillet to give the fat time to render.
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place breasts on cutting board, bone side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Using meat pounder, pound thick ends of breasts to 3/4- to 1-inch thickness. Season all chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side down, in cold 12-inch nonstick skillet and sprinkle with rosemary.
- Cover skillet and place over medium heat. (If using electric stove, preheat burner for 3 minutes on medium heat.) Cook chicken, without moving it, until skin is light golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook, covered, until skin is deep golden brown and crispy and breasts register 160 degrees and thighs/drumsticks register at least 175 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes longer, rotating skillet halfway through cooking. (If using drumsticks, flip them during last 5 minutes of cooking.) Transfer chicken, skin side up, to platter and tent with aluminum foil.
- While chicken rests, pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from skillet. Add capers, garlic, and rosemary and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds, scraping up any browned bits. Off heat, stir in water and lemon zest and juice. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and emulsified.
- Stir in thyme and any accumulated chicken juices; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.
for the chicken
for the herb sauce
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