Pan Roasted Chicken Gravy Cast Iron Skillet Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Pour fat from drippings into a bowl and reserve. Whisk flour into remaining drippings left in pan; mixture will seem dry. Add 2 tablespoons reserved fat, or as needed, to the drippings mixture to combine with flour.
• Place pan of drippings mixture over low heat and toast flour until light brown and mixture gives off a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes.
• Drizzle about 1/3 cup cold chicken stock at a time into pan drippings, whisking each addition of stock into mixture until thoroughly combined. Continue whisking, scraping any browned pan drippings from the bottom of the pan into gravy; bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until gravy is thick and flour has combined with the liquid, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Adjust thickness of gravy; if too thick, whisk in a little more stock. If gravy is too thin, continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until reduced and thickened, about 10 more minutes. For the smoothest texture, strain gravy before serving.

ROAST CHICKEN DINNER WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in lower third of oven with no racks above it; preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place potatoes, carrots, thyme and rosemary in a 12-inch cast iron or other oven-safe deep skillet. Season with salt and pepper and pour in 1 cup of stock. Rub skin of chicken with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place chicken breast-side-up on top of vegetables.
• Roast chicken, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes, about 60 to 75 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Transfer chicken to a platter, draining juices from the cavity of the chicken into the pan. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables and arrange around chicken on the serving platter.
• Bring pan drippings to a simmer over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of stock and whisk until smooth. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. If too thick, whisk in additional stock 2 Tbsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add cream, if desired, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables and gravy.

PAN ROASTED CHICKEN & GRAVY-CAST IRON SKILLET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mash garlic and salt into a paste in a small bowl, using the back of a spoon. Stir in pepper and thyme.
• With a sharp knife or kitchen shears, remove any excess fat from chicken. Dry the inside with a paper towel. With your fingers, loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs to make pockets, being careful not to tear the skin. Rub the garlic mixture over the breast and thigh meat.
• Heat oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning often, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the chicken until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board; tent with foil.
• Meanwhile, mash the remaining 1 teaspoon butter and flour in a small bowl until a paste forms. Place the pan (use caution, the handle will be hot) over medium-high heat. Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Gradually whisk in the butter-flour paste a few bits at a time, until the gravy thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, allowing any fat to rise to the top. Skim off the fat with a spoon. Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN & GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Mash garlic and salt into a paste in a small bowl, using the back of a spoon. Stir in pepper and thyme.
• With a sharp knife, remove any excess fat from chicken. Dry the inside with a paper towel. With your fingers, loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs to make pockets, being careful not to tear the skin. Rub the garlic mixture over the breast and thigh meat.
• Heat oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning often, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the chicken until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board; tent with foil.
• Meanwhile, mash the remaining 1 teaspoon butter and flour in a small bowl until a paste forms. Place the pan (use caution, the handle will be hot) over medium-high heat. Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Gradually whisk in the butter-flour paste a few bits at a time, until the gravy thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, allowing any fat to rise to the top. Skim off the fat with a spoon. Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

CAST-IRON SKILLET CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 F, or as high as it will go. Preheat cast-iron skillet over high heat. (Note: Chef Gillespie uses an 8-inch skillet to cook 2 servings; use two 8-inch skillets or one 14-inch skillet to cook 4 servings.) Butcher the chicken: First, make a cut along one side of the backbone, as close to the bone as possible. Carefully cut down until the breast and tenderloin can be pulled away from the carcass in one piece; pop the thigh bone out of the joint, and continue cutting from thigh to wing joint to detach the entire half from the carcass. Repeat procedure with the other side of the chicken. (Reserve the carcass for stock.)
• Extend the wing and cut through joint between the flat and the drumette. (Reserve the wing for stock.) Make a cut to separate the breast from the thigh, so you have a leg-and-thigh piece and a breast-and-drumette piece. When the skillet is smoking hot, add the grapeseed oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Pat the chicken pieces completely dry with paper towels; then generously season on all sides with salt.
• Very gently lay the leg-thigh in the skillet, skin side down, and cook until the skin is nicely browned, about 2 minutes. No need to peek or move the chicken-just let it cook undisturbed. When the skin is browned, it will release easily from the pan; flip it over so it's skin side up. Add the breast to the skillet, skin side down. Place skillet in the oven and cook, 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, remove skillet from the oven and check to see if chicken is done: the juices bubbling at the bone should be clear, and the meat should be retracting at the thigh bone. Serve.

CLASSIC ROAST CHICKEN WITH PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Truss chicken: Preheat oven to 450 F, preferably convection. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. (Optional: stuff cavity with a whole lemon to prop up the breast.) Cut about 3 feet of twine, lay it flat on a clean surface, and position chicken breast side up on the middle of the twine. Tie the legs together with a single knot. Flip the chicken over, bring twine down the length of the bird, wrap it under the wings, tighten, and tie off the twine behind the neck; trim excess twine. (The goal of trussing is to make the chicken as compact as possible, preventing hot air from circulating in the cavity and drying out the breasts.)
• Season chicken: Lift the chicken with one hand and generously sprinkle salt over it with the other, rotating the chicken to make sure it's evenly coated; place the salted chicken in a cast-iron skillet. Roast until the juices run clear, about 1 hour. (Note: As the chicken roasts at a high temperature, the fat will naturally smoke. Cleaning your oven before roasting will minimize the smoke.)
• Pan sauce: Transfer chicken to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let it rest. Meanwhile, put skillet with pan drippings on the stove over medium heat. Peel and thinly slice onion. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off ribbons of carrot until you reach the core; discard the core. Place onions and carrot shavings in the skillet; stir with the wooden spatula, scraping up the browned chicken drippings (or "fond") on the bottom of the skillet. Deglaze the skillet with wine, stir, and allow the liquid to reduce completely, about 3-5 minutes. When it has reduced, add 1 cup of water, stir, and let the liquid reduce again until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, carve the chicken.
• Carve chicken: Cut away the twine and discard. Separate the leg and thigh from the breast by using the knife to pop open the leg joint, making it easier to sever; separate the leg and thigh into two pieces if you wish. Cut off the wings and neck. (Optional: place neck into the skillet while the sauce is reducing for extra flavor.) Run the blade along the breastbone to remove the breasts, leaving skin intact. If you wish, cut the breasts into thick slices. Transfer to a serving platter.
• Optional: Use the carcass to make chicken stock. Place it in an oven-safe pot along with vegetables (such as carrot, celery, and/or onion) and add enough water to cover. Put the pot in a 200 F oven for 6 hours or overnight. Strain the stock and store in a lidded container in the refrigerator or freezer.Once pan sauce has thickened and looks caramel-brown, turn off the heat. Leaving the vegetables in the skillet, spoon the sauce over the chicken; serve immediately.