After thinking that I had found the perfect way to make a roast chicken (in the slow cooker), I happened upon an episode of Cook's Country in which they cooked a chicken in a cast iron skillet over a base of bread cubes and sauteed vegetables. Genius! Especially since stuffing is one of my favorite things.
This recipe gives you the best of both worlds -- a perfectly-roasted chicken flavored with lemon, garlic, fresh herbs (and plenty of delicious butter!) -- and an evenly-cooked tasty stuffing that gets infused with the juices from the roasting chicken. Yum!
Cast-Iron Skillet Chicken with an Unstuffed Stuffing (printer-friendly version)
makes 4 servings
For the unstuffed stuffing:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 heaping cup)
2 celery ribs, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme)
4 cups 1/2-inch sourdough bread cubes
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth [optional]
For the chicken:
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded
1 lemon, quartered
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
small bunch of fresh herbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme), divided
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. For the stuffing: Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to a large (12-inch) cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
3. Add in the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables have softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and minced fresh herbs. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat.
4. For the chicken: pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Stuff the cavity with the quartered lemon, smashed garlic cloves, and bunch of fresh herbs.
5. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot. Stir in the minced herbs, salt, and pepper. Brush the herb butter over the chicken.
6. Set the chicken (breast side up) on top of the sauteed vegetables in the cast iron skillet. Tie the legs together with a short piece of string. Place the bread cubes around the chicken in the skillet.
7. Roast the chicken in the oven for 60-75 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees. Rotate the skillet halfway through the cooking period.
8. Remove the chicken from the skillet, set it on a cutting board, and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil.
9. Stir together the bread cubes and vegetables, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, if you would like the stuffing to be more moist, stir in 1/3 cup chicken stock. Carve the chicken and serve with the stuffing.
(adapted from this Cook's Country recipe)
makes 4 servings
For the unstuffed stuffing:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 heaping cup)
2 celery ribs, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme)
4 cups 1/2-inch sourdough bread cubes
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth [optional]
For the chicken:
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded
1 lemon, quartered
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
small bunch of fresh herbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme), divided
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. For the stuffing: Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to a large (12-inch) cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
3. Add in the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables have softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and minced fresh herbs. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat.
4. For the chicken: pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Stuff the cavity with the quartered lemon, smashed garlic cloves, and bunch of fresh herbs.
5. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot. Stir in the minced herbs, salt, and pepper. Brush the herb butter over the chicken.
6. Set the chicken (breast side up) on top of the sauteed vegetables in the cast iron skillet. Tie the legs together with a short piece of string. Place the bread cubes around the chicken in the skillet.
7. Roast the chicken in the oven for 60-75 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees. Rotate the skillet halfway through the cooking period.
8. Remove the chicken from the skillet, set it on a cutting board, and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil.
9. Stir together the bread cubes and vegetables, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, if you would like the stuffing to be more moist, stir in 1/3 cup chicken stock. Carve the chicken and serve with the stuffing.
(adapted from this Cook's Country recipe)
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