Stovetop roast chicken

I’m breaking my own rule today: sharing a recipe I did not make up or adapt. There’s a reason for this, be sure of that. Unless you subscribe to “Cooks Illustrated” magazine you won’t have access to this.

I cook chicken many different ways. A favorite in our house is chicken breast paillards (see my July 31 post). But this recipe intrigued me. The idea is to get crispy well-cooked chicken parts on top of the stove. It’s a great idea for a hot day when you don’t want to turn on the oven.

In “Cooks” test kitchen they used a whole cutup chicken. I decided just to go with thighs (with skin and bones).

Anyhow, here it is:

Stovetop roast chicken with spicy Thai sauce
1 package chicken thighs (4-6 count)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
¾ cup low-sodium chicken stock
salt and pepper

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add chicken pieces skin side down and cook without moving until golden brown, 5-8 minutes.

Using tongs, flip chicken pieces skin side up. Reduce heat to medium low, add broth to skillet, cover, and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°, 10-16 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Pour off liquid into 2-cup measuring cup and reserve. Wipe skillet with paper towels. Add remaining teaspoon oil and heat over medium high heat until it is shimmering. Return chicken skin side down to skillet and cook undisturbed until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and internal temp is 160°, 4-7 minutes. Transfer to heated plates and tent loosely with foil. Skim fat from reserved cooking liquid and add enough additional broth to yield ¾ cup.

Spicy Thai sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp sugar
1 garlic clove minced or pressed
½ tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbs chopped cilantro

To the skillet add ½ the lime juice, sugar, garlic, fish sauce and curry paste. Cook over medium high heat, scraping bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon until the spoon leaves a wide trail in the sauce, about 2 minutes.

Add reserved cooking liquid; return to simmer and cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, 2-3 minutes. Stir in any juices from the resting chicken; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in cilantro and remaining lime juice. Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.