Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Richly savory and, well, like chicken! Texture: Salty, oh-so-crisp skin with a super moist meat. Ease: This is probably the easiest way to enjoy perfectly cooked dark meat chicken with a scrumptious fried skin. Appearance: I don’t know about you but crisp skin makes my mouth water. Pros: Better than KFC! Cons: None that I thought up. Would I make this again? Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yesThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Have you seen the latest issue of Bon Appetit? The one where Gwyneth is smiling at you from the cover? If not, take a look the next time your standing in line at the grocery store.
Gwyneth’s pictures are redonkulous. I don’t know anyone who prances around in their kitchen wearing skin-tight, thigh-high dresses eating huge plates of pasta. I wanted to dismiss the issue after laughing at those photos but luckily I didn’t because there was at least one gem of a recipe in there. This recipe promised a simple technique to produce outstanding results and I’m happy to say it lived up to it’s promise. The chicken is succulent and flavorful with a beautiful crisp, salty skin. It’s great for those days when you are craving crispy chicken but don’t feel like frying or roasting a whole bird. Also, chicken thighs are dirt cheap so it makes a great family meal. If you want to add another punch of flavor, throw in some sprigs of thyme or rosemary or even a few lemon wedges.
*post edited 5/27/13 to add new and improved photo!
Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking.
- Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and continue cooking skin side down, moving chicken around to ensure even heat. Cook skin-down until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.
- Transfer skillet to oven and cook 10-13 minutes more. Flip chicken so the skin side is facing up and cook until the skin is crisp and the internal temperature registers at least 165 degrees, about 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs, if using.
I’ve made chicken thighs using this recipe as a guideline a few times and it is delicious, however coming from a Puerto Rican background I added some adobo, Sazon, sofrito, and a little bit of paprika and it just comes out so flavorful. As far as the complainers regarding this recipe I suggest you take a little time to get to know your stove and use more seasonings other than just salt and pepper. Lol
How do you cook this without smoking out the house and destroying your oven!?