When I was brainstorming recipes and content for the new year, I was admittedly in a bit of a rut — struggling with fresh ideas. I’ve been blogging for over a decade and sometimes I have to go back to my own site to ask “did I already do that?” One thing I realized: a lot of my everyday meals, the staple dishes I make every week, are so second nature to me that I never take the time to write them down. I’m trying to be better at capturing the “classics” from my weekly meal plan, and this skillet roasted chicken is an all-time fave that I make often. We typically eat the legs and thighs for dinner and save the leftover chicken breast meat for chicken salad, soups, taco filling, etc. The bones get added to my instant pot with all the leftover veggies in my fridge drawer and I make stock to tuck away in the freezer. Don’t be afraid of the spatchcocking process, you just need some sharp kitchen shears and a brave face (this tutorial is helpful). Get the rest of the recipe below!
- 5-6 lb. Whole Chicken
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 Rosemary Sprigs
- 2 Oranges, quartered
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove chicken from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut out the spine, then flip the chicken over and press down to flatten.
- Drizzle the chicken lightly with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Place the chicken skin-side down in a cast iron skillet and surround it with the whole rosemary sprigs and orange quarters.
- Cook the chicken for 20 minutes in a 425 degree oven, then remove the skillet from the oven and carefully flip the chicken so that skin side is up. Increase the temperature to 450 degrees and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (check the deepest part of the chicken breast for a temperature of 165 degrees).
- Remove from oven and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
