In the pursuit of roast chicken with juicy meat and lovely browned skin that we could make on a weeknight, we turned to the cast-iron skillet, which retains heat well and, once hot, distributes that heat evenly across the skillet's surface. To avoid having to cut up a whole chicken and to reduce the cooking time, we started with chicken parts. To aid in getting a burnished color on the skin, we added paprika to a spice rub of onion powder, granulated garlic, and plenty of salt and pepper. For a finishing touch, we added six sprigs of thyme and a couple of tablespoons of butter to the skillet, which combined with the chicken juices to create a lovely sauce.
Notes
Our favorite cast-iron skillet is the Lodge Classic Cast Iron Skillet, 12". Note that the cast-iron skillet should be preheated along with the oven; this is key to getting crispy, well-browned skin. You will not achieve the same type of browning with a conventional skillet. A 4-pound whole chicken will yield the 3 pounds of parts called for in the recipe. Our favorite paprika is The Spice House Hungarian Sweet Paprika.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces - 2 split breasts, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and 2 wings with wingtips discarded, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 12-inch cast-iron skillet on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Combine paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, and granulated garlic in bowl.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with spice mixture.
- When oven is heated, carefully remove hot skillet. Add butter, let it melt, and add thyme sprigs.
- Place chicken in skillet skin side down, pushing thyme sprigs aside as needed.
- Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven and flip chicken.
- Return skillet to oven and bake until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register at least 175 degrees, about 15 minutes longer.
- Let chicken rest in skillet for 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and spoon pan juices over top. Serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 691kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 47gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 298mgSodium: 1387mgPotassium: 625mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 964IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg