Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat
the oven to 350°F. Season the chicken generously with
salt (omit the salt if using brined chicken) and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed stainless steel
skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until wisps of
smoke appear. Swirl the oil to coat the pan, then remove
from the heat and carefully add the chicken, skin side
down. Return to the heat and cook, without moving the
chicken, until the skin is a deep golden brown, about 5
minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to cook until the
second side is lightly golden, about 3 minutes. - Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the thickest
part of the chicken breast registers 150°F on an instant-
read thermometer and the thighs and drumsticks register
175°F (remove the pieces to a plate as they reach their
temperature and cover loosely with aluminum foil). If
desired, make a pan sauce (see here–here) while the
chicken rests for 10 minutes. Serve.
QUICK CHICKEN CUTLETS
There are times in life—say, fifteen minutes before that Mr.
Wizard marathon is about to start—when even simple pan-
roasted chicken parts take too long to cook. At these
moments, wise home cooks call on that great savior of the
quick dinner: chicken cutlets. Made by splitting a boneless
chicken breast horizontally in half and gently pounding the
resulting pieces to a thickness of about ¼ inch, they cook in
less time than it takes to boil an egg. Once you’ve prepped
the chicken, you’ve got all of 3 minutes before it’s ready to