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Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach and Beans

By Mark Huxsoll

Published on July 4, 2023

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach and Beans on a plate with a blue edge

Ingredients

3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half, drumsticks, thighs, and wings), trimmed1½ teaspoons table salt, divided½ teaspoon pepper1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving1 shallot, finely chopped6 garlic cloves, sliced thin⅛ teaspoon pepper flakes1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed½ cup dry white wine1 pound (16 cups) baby spinach1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Before You Begin

You can start with a 4-pound chicken or use 3 pounds of mixed bone-in chicken pieces. The skillet may appear crowded at first; the chicken will shrink as it cooks. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Swirl oil evenly over surface of cold 12-inch nonstick skillet. Place chicken, skin side down, in even layer in skillet and cook over medium heat until skin is crisp and well browned, 15 to 17 minutes.
  2. Flip chicken and continue to cook until second side is well browned, breasts and wings register 160 degrees, and leg pieces register at least 175 degrees, 12 to 16 minutes longer, turning pieces as needed during last few minutes of cooking to ensure even cooking. Transfer each piece of chicken to plate once it reaches its target temperature and tent with aluminum foil.
  3. Add shallot, garlic, pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt to fat remaining in skillet and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in beans and wine; bring to simmer; and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are just beginning to break down, about 5 minutes.
  4. Mound half of spinach over beans and cook, covered, until spinach is mostly wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Using tongs, stir in remaining spinach and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, until spinach is fully wilted, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in lemon zest. Transfer bean mixture to bowls and drizzle with extra oil. Top with chicken and serve.
Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach and Beans on a plate with a blue edge
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Elle Simone.

Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach and Beans

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Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

Ingredient check list

Ingredients

Ingredient check list

Ingredients

Ingredient check list

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe is the perfect way to use a whole chicken that has been butchered into 10 individual pieces. The chicken pieces cooked at similar rates, so the white meat was perfectly juicy at the same time as the dark meat reached 175 degrees. We seared the chicken pieces first on the stovetop to jump-start browning and then transferred the skillet to the oven. The combination of searing and high-heat roasting left plenty of caramelized drippings in the skillet to use as the base for a flavorful side dish of baby spinach and cannellini beans. We simmered the beans briefly in wine and the chicken juices until they began to break down. We mounded the spinach over the beans in two batches and cooked it until it was fully wilted. A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil added a final touch of complexity.

Before You Begin

You can start with a 4-pound chicken or use 3 pounds of mixed bone-in chicken pieces. The skillet may appear crowded at first; the chicken will shrink as it cooks. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Swirl oil evenly over surface of cold 12-inch nonstick skillet. Place chicken, skin side down, in even layer in skillet and cook over medium heat until skin is crisp and well browned, 15 to 17 minutes.
  2. Flip chicken and continue to cook until second side is well browned, breasts and wings register 160 degrees, and leg pieces register at least 175 degrees, 12 to 16 minutes longer, turning pieces as needed during last few minutes of cooking to ensure even cooking. Transfer each piece of chicken to plate once it reaches its target temperature and tent with aluminum foil.
  3. Add shallot, garlic, pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt to fat remaining in skillet and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in beans and wine; bring to simmer; and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are just beginning to break down, about 5 minutes.
  4. Mound half of spinach over beans and cook, covered, until spinach is mostly wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Using tongs, stir in remaining spinach and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, until spinach is fully wilted, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in lemon zest. Transfer bean mixture to bowls and drizzle with extra oil. Top with chicken and serve.
  5. 5.Enjoy!
    Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach and Beans on a plate with a blue edge

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