Pan-roasting chicken makes meat moist and skin crisp
Make use of browned bits on the bottom for a wonderful sauce
To develop a bone-in chicken breast recipe that produced moist meat, crisp skin, and a quick pan sauce, we turned to pan roasting, where the chicken is browned in a skillet on the stovetop and then slid, skillet and all, into a very hot oven to finish cooking. This method helped to protect the delicate white meat, which doesn’t have a lot of fat, from drying out.
The chicken was added skin side down in a smoking hot skillet, where it formed a gorgeous brown crust and produced plenty of fond.
After lightly browning the second side of the chicken, we moved the skillet to an oven at 450 F (230 C) where the chicken roasted for just 15 minutes. While the chicken rested, we used the browned bits left in the pan to make a flavourful pan sauce. You will need a 12-inch (30-cm) ovensafe skillet for this recipe.
If using kosher chicken, do not brine. If brining the chicken, do not season with salt in first step.
For the chicken:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 F (230 C). Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in 30-cm ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
Cook breasts, skin side down, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip breasts and brown lightly on second side, about 3 minutes.
Flip breasts skin side down, transfer skillet to oven, and roast until chicken registers 160 F (70 C), 15 to 18 minutes.
Remove skillet from oven (skillet handle will be hot). Transfer chicken to serving dish and let rest while making sauce.
For the sauce:
Being careful of hot skillet handle, pour off all but 1 teaspoon (5 mL) fat left in skillet.
Add shallot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, vermouth, and thyme sprigs, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until thickened and measures 2/3 cup (160 mL), about 6 minutes.
Discard thyme sprigs and stir in any accumulated chicken juices. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time.
Off heat, season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.