As you can probably tell, I love roast chicken. I've already posted a couple of different ways to roast chicken pieces on the grill. But, when I was working on my White Chicken Chili recipe* I realized that I hadn't posted this method, which is the one I use when I don't feel like grilling.
*The white chicken chili recipe is coming, I promise.
The searing step gives this chicken recipe the crispiest skin I can make - except maybe for rotisserie chicken on a charcoal grill. As a bonus, if you use all thighs, or cut chicken breast pieces in half, you can be done in about 45 minutes, which qualifies as an ambitious weeknight dinner for me.
📖 Recipe Card
Sear-Roasted Chicken Pieces with Quick Lemon Pan Sauce
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Chicken pieces seared skin side down for the crispiest skin, finished in the oven, and served with a quick lemon-garlic pan sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, legs, or drumsticks)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Liberally season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet (not nonstick) over medium-high heat, until shimmering and just starting to smoke.
- Sear the chicken: Put the chicken in the skillet skin side down, and cook until the skin is well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken, and cook until the other side is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Roast the chicken: Pour any excess fat out of the pan, then put the pan in the oven. Roast until the chicken is 160°F in the breasts or 170°F in the thighs, about 10 minutes for thighs and halved breasts, or 20 minutes for whole breasts. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Make the pan sauce: If there's more than a teaspoon or two of fat in the pan, pour it out. Put the pan over medium heat (careful - the handle will be very hot). When the drippings start to sizzle, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Boil until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add any juices from the chicken plate, remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper, and serve the sauce with the chicken.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Sauce variations: Replace the garlic with diced shallot. Add drained capers or red pepper flakes with the garlic. Add a splash of white wine, sherry, vermouth, Madeira, or port and let it reduce before adding the stock. Add a sprig of thyme or a small piece of rosemary with the stock (remove before serving). For a richer sauce, whisk in 1 tablespoon of butter after adding the lemon.
This is a quick weeknight meal - 30 to 45 minutes end to end, depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
If you have extra time, brine the chicken for an hour, or pre-salt it 6 to 24 hours ahead, and skip the salt in step 1.
If you're cooking a mix of breasts and thighs, cut the breasts in half so everything finishes at the same time.
I often make this with all thighs. They give off a LOT of fat during searing - pour it out before the pan goes in the oven. I use the pan lid to hold the pieces in place while I pour.
The sauce is a starting point for an infinite variety of sauces. Homemade chicken or turkey stock is best, but even water and salt makes a good sauce when you use it to deglaze the pan.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
Cook's Illustrated Pan Roasted Chicken
recipePam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Yes, you can do it with pork: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pork-tenderloin-with-tomatillo-salsa/ But you don't have to sear-roast if you have pork chops. You can cook them entirely on the stovetop: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pork-chop-saute-with-orange-mustard/
Misty H says
This was our dinner tonight....and it was über yummy! I made the sauce as you said, but added some onions. This (in its many variations) is going to be added to our busy-weeknight menu!
Can you also do this with pork?