If you don’t have a cast iron pan yet, now’s the time to get one! This recipe was perfected by my husband Harvey and a go-to for an economical weeknight dinner that easily feeds a family of four. It’s easy to make the pan sauce to go with it for a bright, creamy gravy.
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Pan
Ingredients
- 1 whole fryer chicken
- 1 – 2 tablespoons avocado or other high-heat resistant oil
- 2 – 3 lemons halved
- ½ stick butter cubed, chilled
Instructions
- Prepare the spatchcokced chicken by removing the backbone (you can use kitchen shears or a sharp knife) and pressing down firmly on the chicken, cut side down, to flatten. You can freeze the backbone along with bones collected after dinner in a bag for making homemade stock later.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper or your favorite poultry seasoning blend.
- Heat a lightly oiled deep-set cast iron pan in the oven at 500℉ until very hot and smoking, about 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from the oven, set on a burner and carefully add the whole chicken, breast side up, tucking the legs into the pan. Return to oven and roast at that high temp for 15 minutes (open a window). Drop temp down to 350℉ until thighs reach 155℉, about 45-50 minutes. Let rest, uncovered, on a chopping board for at least 10 minutes before carving into pieces.
- Meanwhile, make the pan sauce. Heat the cast iron pan used to cook the chicken over medium heat. Squeeze or juice the lemons into the pan. Turn up heat and scrape up browned bits. Allow to reduce by about half. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly. Add butter, cube by cube and stir until creamy.
- Pour into a gravy boat and serve with the chicken along with your favorite green vegetable, a potato side and/or crusty bread.
