This week, it is another recipe of cooking chicken twice. Well, technically, it is starting the cooking process on the stovetop and then finishing it off in the oven. So, that counts as twice-cooked chicken, right?
The whole idea behind starting something on the stovetop and then moving it to the oven is to get a jump-start on the cooking process before adding the food to the oven. Sometimes (often) this process is used to brown, crisp or give colour and texture to the food with the direct heat of the stovetop. The heat in the oven then provides that indirect heat – cooking all around the food and the pan/dish it is in. This style of cooking is frequently used in restaurant kitchens.
For my pan-roasted chicken, I wanted to ensure that all pieces of the chicken would finish cooking at the same time, therefore, I opted for similar cuts of the chicken, in this case, drumsticks. Thighs, wings, and breasts would work too, though the cooking time would vary.
This is a one-pan cook so ensure that your pan comfortably holds the food. This recipe calls for a pan that can go directly from the stovetop to the oven. Cast iron works but check your pan because many of the stainless steel pans these days can go from the stovetop to the oven too.
INGREDIENTS
● 6 large chicken drumsticks, rinsed and patted dry
● 3 tablespoons fresh green seasoning
● 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
● Salt and pepper to taste
● 2 – 3 tablespoons oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Season the chicken and other ingredients and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
2. Remove the container/bowl from the fridge at least half an hour before you are ready to cook the chicken so that it can come up to room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Heat the oil in the pan until smoking hot.
5. Add the chicken in a single layer in the pan and brown on one side for 2 – 3 minutes and turn it over to brown on the other side for 2 minutes.
6. Transfer the pan with the chicken from the stovetop to the oven and cook 30 – 35 minutes or until the juices as a result of a knife inserted in the thick part of the drumsticks run clear.
7. Remove pan from oven, cover with foil and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving.
