What I Ate: Crispy Roasted Chicken

You might be over poultry after Thanksgiving weekend, but I thought I would quickly share this pretty awesome chicken I made a couple of weeks ago. I had bought thighs with the intention of making salsa chicken but realized I'd bought bone-in thighs and therefore had to change plans.

I ended up grabbing some rosemary out of the garden (it's still doing remarkably well) and whipped up this all-American dinner.

I don't have a recipe page for this one - it's just too easy to require it and that's why I went with a 'What I Ate' style - but I'll do my best to outline the instructions throughout so you too can whip up this delicious weeknight dinner.

First things first, I got some potatoes going in the oven. I diced them up, added in some peppers, onions, and mushrooms, drizzled in some olive oil, sprinkled in a little garlic and rosemary, and then chucked the dish into the oven at 450F for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes were soft.

The chicken was given a liberal coating of salt and pepper and then nestled into a screaming hot cast iron pan with just a little olive oil, skin-side-down, and left alone for a good eight to ten minutes to allow a decent crust to form.

When the skins looked sufficiently crusty, I flipped the chicken over and then put the whole pan into the same 450F oven that the potatoes were cooking in and let the chicken roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the meat read about 160F.

Then, I put the pan back onto the hob and turned the heat up as high as it would go, flipped the chicken back over so the skins were touching the bottom of the pan, and let it go for another couple of minutes to get the skins a bit more golden and crispy. I poked the meat once more with a thermometer and confident that it was 165F (the ideal FDA-approved chicken internal temperature) I served it up with the potatoes, some green beans, and a salad.

This preparation of chicken is fantastic. Not only are the skins delicious crispy and flavorful, but the entire meal is easily done in under 30 minutes. It's the perfect throw together meal after a long day of work but offers all the comforts of a slow Sunday roast. I expect this to be on rotation all throughout the winter. The other bonus is that thigh meat is incredibly affordable so it's also friendly on the wallet too.

xoxo.