Make a Poultry-and-Potatoes Dinner in a Pan
By America’s Test Kitchen
This recipe delivers a chicken and potatoes dinner in just one skillet in just over an hour. Chicken leg quarters, which are underused (and therefore often priced less than other cuts), are substantial enough for one serving and offer plenty of crispy skin. They also rendered enough juices to flavor the potatoes. After browning the leg quarters, we browned potato slices along with some halved shallots; Yukon Golds were starchy enough to soak up the chicken juices, but not so starchy that they’d fall apart. Placing the chicken directly on top of the potatoes allowed the drippings to season the potatoes beneath, bumping up their creamy texture and their flavor. You can substitute four 10- to 12‑ounce bone-in split chicken breasts for the leg quarters, if desired. Be sure to cook the breasts to 160 degrees in step 4, about 35 minutes.
Skillet-Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters and Potatoes
Total Time: 1 ¼ hours
4 (10‑ to 12-ounce) chicken leg quarters, trimmed
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 ½ teaspoons plus pinch table salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2‑inch-thick rounds
4 shallots, halved through root end
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving
1 garlic clove, minced
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss potatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Combine parsley, lemon zest, garlic, and remaining pinch salt in small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12‑inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, skin side up.
3. Place potatoes and shallots in single layer in now-empty skillet. Cook over medium heat, without moving vegetables, until bottoms of potatoes are golden brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of vegetables and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken registers 175 degrees and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley mixture. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
Serves: 4
Reprinted from The Chicken Bible (2021) with permission from America’s Test Kitchen, www.americastestkitchen.com.
This recipe delivers a chicken and potatoes dinner in just one skillet in just over an hour. Chicken leg quarters, which are underused (and therefore often priced less than other cuts), are substantial enough for one serving and offer plenty of crispy skin. They also rendered enough juices to flavor the potatoes. After browning the leg quarters, we browned potato slices along with some halved shallots; Yukon Golds were starchy enough to soak up the chicken juices, but not so starchy that they’d fall apart. Placing the chicken directly on top of the potatoes allowed the drippings to season the potatoes beneath, bumping up their creamy texture and their flavor. You can substitute four 10- to 12‑ounce bone-in split chicken breasts for the leg quarters, if desired. Be sure to cook the breasts to 160 degrees in step 4, about 35 minutes.
Skillet-Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters and Potatoes
Total Time: 1 ¼ hours
4 (10‑ to 12-ounce) chicken leg quarters, trimmed
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 ½ teaspoons plus pinch table salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2‑inch-thick rounds
4 shallots, halved through root end
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving
1 garlic clove, minced
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss potatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Combine parsley, lemon zest, garlic, and remaining pinch salt in small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12‑inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, skin side up.
3. Place potatoes and shallots in single layer in now-empty skillet. Cook over medium heat, without moving vegetables, until bottoms of potatoes are golden brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of vegetables and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken registers 175 degrees and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley mixture. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
Serves: 4
Reprinted from The Chicken Bible (2021) with permission from America’s Test Kitchen, www.americastestkitchen.com.
