You can have roasted chicken on a weeknight. I promise. Instead of dressing an entire chicken and waiting an hour and a half for it to cook, start a pan of thighs browning on the stove top and finish them off in the oven in 30 to 40 minuets flat. Searing gives the chicken concentrated flavor and a crispy skin, hard to achieve with regular roasting. The spice impaired will love this dish. Fresh sage leaves, salt and black pepper are all you need to make the chicken and old fashioned creamy gravy sing. There are two important things to remember. First, don’t use a non-stick pan. You won’t develop the tasty fond, browned bits, that form on the bottom of the pan and give the gravy flavor. Also you can’t put an non-stick pan in a 450 degree oven. Second, wrap the handle of your pan with a tea towel after removing it from the oven. I’ve grabbed the hot handle, and boy does it hurt.
Ingredients:
- 7-8 chicken thighs
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 5-6 fresh sage leaves
- chicken broth
- 2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- heavy whipping cream
Preparation:
Pre heat the oven to 450 degrees. Season the chicken thighs well with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat a large (12-14 inch) stainless steel fry pan on medium high and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is hot, add the sage leaves. Add the chicken breast, skin side down, and make sure they are spaced apart so they have room to brown. Make sure the chicken is not sitting on top of any of the sage leaves. Do not touch the chicken for 7-8 minutes. You want a nice dark color on the skin. Turn the chicken over and brown for 3-5 more minutes on the other side. Place the fry pan in oven and let roast for 15-20 minutes. You’ll know the chicken in finished when the skin crisps and the meat draws away from the bones just a bit. Remove the pan from the oven and place on the stove top. Using tongs, take the chicken out the fry pan, and put on a plate or dish and tent with foil. Turn the stove top on medium low heat and add the flour to the pan. Mix the flour in the the pan juices using a wooden spoon to scrap the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Cook the flour for about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, a little at a time until the mixture is the consistency you like–not too thin and not too thick. Finish the gravy off with a bit of heavy cream swirled in. Taste for salt. Serve with mashed potatoes or cornbread stuffing. Heck, have it with both.
