This is a riff on a dish that was a staple weeknight dinner in my childhood home and now is once again in my own family’s household. It’s quick, everything cooks in a single pan, and it’s a great use for leftover chicken or any other odds and ends you might have in the fridge: chunks of sausage, herbs, some vegetables, whatever. Like all great comfort food, it’s humble but sneakily delicious—I have never been able to resist the caramelized drippings you get on the bottom of the pan. It’s a wonder my cholesterol is what it is.
Cast-Iron Skillet Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes
Like all great comfort food, it’s humble but sneakily delicious—I have never been able to resist the caramelized drippings you get on the bottom of the pan.
Ingredients
For the chicken and potatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 pounds (1.4 kg) bone-in skin-on chicken cut into pieces and patted dry with a paper towel (from about a 4-pound chicken)
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 pounds (910 g) fingerling potatoes, chopped into 2-inch (5 cm) oblique cuts (so there are two angled sides)
- 1 recipe Basil Chimichurri (below)
For the Basil Chimichurri (Makes 1 1/2 cups (360 ml))
- 1 cup (40 g) roughly chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup (50 g) roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup (35 g) finely chopped red onion
- 1 cup (240 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
Make the Basil Chimichurri
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir with a fork to combine. The chimichurri is best served immediately, while the herbs are still fresh, but it can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
Make the chicken and potatoes
- HEAT THE OLIVE OIL in a large cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper on both sides and place the chicken pieces skin side down in the skillet. Fill in the pan with the potatoes. (You want the pan really full so that the surface area is completely covered with chicken and potatoes.) Cover with a lid and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the chicken has released its juices and everything is golden.
- Flip the chicken, cover again, and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C). Remove from heat, add dollops of chimichurri on top, and serve immediately.
Notes
Reprinted with permission from Peace, Love, and Pasta by Scott Conant, © 2021 Scott Conant. Published by Abrams. Photographs © 2021 Ken Goodman.