Stovetop Roast Chicken with Lemon-Herb Sauce

By LaLaCooks

America's Test Kitchen

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We started with a standard set of mixed chicken parts: four breast halves, two drumsticks, and two thighs. We tested a variety of approaches to achieve moist meat and crisp skin, but ran into numerous problems. One method—steaming the raw chicken in broth and then searing it in a hot pan, skin side down—crisped the skin but caused it to shrink dramatically. To avoid this, we found that searing the chicken first and then steaming was the answer. After steaming, we poured off all the liquid from the pan (reserving it to use for the pan sauce) and returned the chicken to sear again skin side down. This second searing produced the deep, russet-hued crisp skin we had hoped for. After removing the finished chicken, we set out to make our pan sauce with shallot, lemon, and fresh herbs. This quick pan sauce was the perfect complement to our tender roast chicken with crisp skin.
From Season 10: Sensational Skillet Recipes


WATCH THIS RECIPE
One skillet and a trick from Chinese cookery were all we needed to produce the speediest crisp and juicy roast chicken that never saw the inside of an oven.
Watch the Video
Serves 4
A whole 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, can be used instead of the chicken parts. Use a splatter screen when browning the chicken.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat (see note)
• 1 - 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Lemon-Herb Sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium shallot , minced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from americastestkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken pieces skin-side down and cook without moving until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Using tongs, flip chicken pieces skin-side up. Reduce heat to medium-low, add 3/4 cup broth to skillet, cover, and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 155 degrees for breasts and 170 degrees for legs and thighs, 10 to 16 minutes (smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces). Transfer chicken to plate, skin-side up.
3. Pour off liquid from skillet into 2-cup measuring cup and reserve. Using tongs, wipe skillet with paper towels. Add remaining teaspoon oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Return chicken pieces skin-side down and cook undisturbed until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and it reaches 160 degrees for breasts and 175 degrees for legs and thighs, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Using spoon, skim fat from reserved cooking liquid and add enough broth to measure 3/4 cup.
4. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in now-empty skillet over low heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high, add reserved cooking liquid, and bring to simmer, scraping skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Simmer rapidly until reduced to 1/2 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in any accumulated juices from resting chicken; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in lemon juice, parsley, chives, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.
TECHNIQUE
KEYS TO CRISP SKIN AND JUICY MEAT
1. SEAR the raw chicken pieces to jump-start the cooking process and crisp the skin.


2. STEAM the chicken in broth to cook it quickly and evenly and to render fat from the skin.


3. RE-CRISP the chicken pieces in the cleaned skillet to create super thin, ultracrisp skin.