Weeknight Chicken

By

Stealing an idea from the restaurant industry, we started our Weeknight Chicken in a skillet to give it a good sear and a head start on crisp skin. Adding a little chicken broth to the pan before finishing the chicken in the oven acted as a buffer and prevented the white meat from drying out and the skin from burning. We cranked the oven temperature to speed up the cooking time and ensure that the skin didn’t become too soggy from sitting in the chicken broth. It also reduced the chicken broth, which became the base for a flavorful pan sauce.

View complete recipe

  • 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
  • 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 salt

Preparation

Step 1

THE MEAT stays moist and drinks in flavor from the poaching liquid, which combines chicken broth, wine, and seasonings. The liquid moderates temperature so that the dark-meat thighs can finish cooking without the white-meat breasts overcooking.

THE SKIN which we have already seared on the stovetop, stays above the simmering cooking liquid, crisping further in the 450-degree heat of the oven.

THE BROTH evaporates and concentrates in the oven, making the base for a quick, elegant, and flavorful sauce.

View complete recipe