Pan-Roasted Chicken

Serves 4, plus leftovers

Note: It’s easiest if you use all chicken thighs, as they’ll cook at the same pace, but if you believe it’s better to buy all the parts of a bird, then just plan to remove the pieces from the pan as they finish cooking. This do-ahead recipe yields enough chicken for lunch, as well as dinner. 12 bone-in, skin-on

chicken thighs Salt and freshly ground

black pepper Extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, skins left

on and smashed Handful of sage, rosemary, and/or thyme sprigs

1. In the morning, place the chicken thighs on a plate or small baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Place, uncovered, in the fridge.

2. When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 400 degrees and set out the chicken. Place two large castiron pans (you can do this in batches in one pan but two makes it faster) over high heat. When the pans are hot, add enough oil to thickly coat the base of the pan. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, in the pan. Let them cook, undisturbed, until the skin is well-browned, about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat so the chicken doesn’t burn.

3. Tuck the garlic and herbs around and under the chicken pieces, and transfer the pans to the oven to finish cooking, 10 to 15 minutes — the chicken is done when the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Let cool and store in containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

4. Day of: Place 8 of the chicken thighs in a skillet and loosely tent with a piece of aluminum foil. Reheat in a 300 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Reprinted with permission from Food52 A New Way to Dinner: A Playbook of Recipes and Strategies for the Week Ahead by Amanda Hesser & Merrill Stubbs, copyright © 2016. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.