Skillet-Roasted Chicken With Garlic

Photo by Peter Frank Edwards

“I love cooking chicken like this at home,” says Sean Brock, chef and author of Heritage. “It fills the house with an amazing aroma. The flavors of garlic, lemon and parsley are classic and delicious. You can throw this dish together with minimal shopping and prep. I serve it with a simple salad or a very fresh vegetable on the side.” Sean uses his own chicken-stock recipe from the book, but you can use store-bought stock.

Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlic
Serves 2

6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 t. sugar
1 T. kosher salt, plus to taste
1 t. freshly cracked black pepper, plus to taste
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs.)
1/2 c. canola oil
2 c. chicken stock
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 c. flat-leaf parsley leaves cut into very thin strips
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place garlic cloves on two 12-inch-square layers of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Pour olive oil over the cloves, seal together the foil edges and place the pouch on a baking sheet. Roast the garlic about 30 minutes, until the cloves are very soft but not falling apart.

Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it. Cut the wings off at the first joint. (You can freeze the backbone and wing tips to make your own stock.) Split the chicken in half. Use paper towels to dry the skin. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a baking dish and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Place two cast-iron skillets over high heat. When the skillets smoke, add 1/4 cup of canola oil to each. As soon as the oil smokes, carefully add a half chicken to each skillet, skin side down. Weight each chicken half with another heavy skillet so it stays flat and browns evenly. Cook the chicken until the skin is crispy and evenly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the weights, flip the chicken over and place the skillets in the oven. Roast the chicken for about 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155 degrees. Place the chicken on plates to rest while you make the sauce.

Combine roasting juices and fats from both skillets into one; set aside. Place the other skillet on the stove over medium heat until it is hot to the touch, about 1 minute. Pour 1 cup of chicken stock into the skillet and use a spatula to scrape the browned bits from the bottom. Gently boil the stock to reduce it by half (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining stock and set aside.

Place the skillet with the roasting juices over medium heat. Sprinkle flour evenly over the juices and gently whisk in until there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly; do not let the roux get too dark around the edge. Whisk in the stock, making sure to fully emulsify it. Increase heat to high and bring the sauce to a simmer. Lower heat to medium-high and reduce the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Add parsley, lemon zest and juice, and 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil from the pouch of garlic. Whisk to combine.

Place the garlic and sauce over the chicken and serve.

Heritage by Sean Brock (Artisan, 2014)