Bah, not my best photo. I made poor lighting choices. But it was delicious.Verdict: Win!
I'm officially a chicken thighs convert. They are so much juicier and tastier than chicken breasts as well as much more forgiving if you accidentally overcook them. This chicken dish satisfied my craving for perfectly crispy chicken skin...as you basically fry the chicken skin in its own rendered fat. The best part is that it only takes about 35 minutes. Quick (kind of) fried chicken dinner? Yes, please!
The only problem I ran into was with my new cast iron skillet, which, ironically, trying out the new skillet was the reason why I chose this recipe in the first place. First, the 12-inch cast iron skillet is a little big and therefore a bit heavy for me to lift with one hand. Second, I forgot it was cast iron and went to touch the handle...and now my right hand hurts from a slight burn :(
Perfect Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs from Bon Appétit
Yield:
INGREDIENTS
6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 475°. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12" cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Transfer skillet to oven and cook 13 more minutes. Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.