Pan roasted chicken thighs.

Fabulous, unfussy cooking.

Drag a crusty baguette right through it.

This week, I’m sharing a pan roasted chicken recipe that is crispy, and juicy, and flavorful enough to be served at your favorite restaurant, but easy enough to turn out on a busy weeknight. We’re cooking bone-in, skin-on thighs, the GOAT of poultry cookery.

I re-tooled my original pan roasted chicken recipe to start it in a cold skillet (thanks for the tip Molly Baz). Starting the thighs in a cold skillet reduces splatter, and produces the crispiest skin, and I can’t imagine ever going back to tossing chicken thighs in a pan full of boiling oil.

My version includes preserved lemons (you can find them at most well-stocked grocery stores these days, in the international aisle, or Middle Eastern section), rosemary, olives, and a touch of red pepper flake. You finish it with a hit of fresh lemon, and serve with crusty bread, or rice, or orzo to soak up all the tasty pan juices.

I have tested this recipe in a cast-iron skillet, a regular stainless steel pan, and even a nonstick skillet. They all work well, just be sure that the handle of your skillet is not plastic, so you can pop the whole thing into the oven. The most important thing is that the skillet has a relatively heavy bottom for even cooking. Even so, you may want to move the pan around a bit on the burner, and adjust the heat slightly during the cooking process to ensure even browning.

But also, trust the process. This kind of hands-off cooking is an exercise in Zen restraint. Let the chicken thighs get deeply browned, and whatever you do, don’t pull them off the pan too soon. When they are ready to be flipped (after 14 minutes or so) they will release easily.

I am trying to take this don’t-force-it attitude with me in all things this holiday season. So far, I’ve been medium-successful.

Speaking of which, I’m going to take the next couple weeks off of this newsletter to plan ahead (something I’ve never done in my ADHD life), restore, and spend time with friends and family. I’ll be back with more Smart Cooks in the new year, but stay tuned for one more podcast drop before the break.

Wishing you a happy, and healthy, and merry little season!

Catherine

RECIPE

Pan roasted chicken thighs with preserved lemon and olives

Serves 4

EQUIPMENT

• Large oven-safe skillet (i.e. no plastic handle!) Cast iron is great if you’ve got it.

• Paper towels to pat the chicken dry if it’s damp (to prevent splattering and get the crispiest skin)

• Tongs

• Wooden spoon

• Cutting board

• Chef’s knife

2 ½ pounds bone-in, skin on chicken thighs

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1 preserved lemon in brine, you can find these in most grocery stores these days, in the International aisle/ Mediterranean section, in glass jars. Mina is a popular brand

1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano or Greek olives

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 lemon

Crusty bread for serving (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

2. While the oven is heating up, pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and sprinkle the chicken with 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.

3. Place the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin side down, and turn the heat to medium. You are going to leave them alone for about 14 minutes, until skin has rendered most of the fat, and the chicken easily releases from the pan. Meanwhile, rinse your whole preserved lemon under cold water, chop it in half, scoop out the seeds, and finely dice it. Chop your ½ cup of pitted olives, measure out 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, gather your two sprigs of rosemary, and slice the 4 cloves of garlic.

4. Time to flip the bird (ha!), so grab your tongs. If you try to flip the thighs and they are holding on for dear life, give them a couple more minutes, the skin should release easily from the pan. Turn off the heat and flip each piece, being careful of any hot splatter.

5. Once you’ve flipped the chicken, sprinkle on the chopped up preserved lemon, olives, garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Use a wooden spoon to nestle all that into the juices in the pan.

6. Transfer the skillet to the oven, and cook for 15 minutes. While it’s cooking, cut the lemon into wedges for easy squeezing.

7. Squeeze on half the lemon wedges and remove the rosemary sprigs. Serve with remaining lemon wedges and orzo, or rice, or crusty bread to soak up the pan juices.