Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Half Chicken
This Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Half Chicken recipe is a great dinner for two – perfect for Sunday night supper or even for a busier weeknight if you make sure to marinate it in time. All you might need to add is a green salad and perhaps a nice glass of chilled white wine, and dinner is served!
I used a half chicken from Bell & Evans for this recipe. A half chicken roasted at high heat cooks quickly and allows you to get a really nice, crisp skin (but not too crisp as Julia Child would say). Be sure to follow the instructions, letting the chicken get a head start cooking at 500 degrees before lowering the oven temp and adding the potatoes and carrots.
This is an easy meal that uses classic ingredients that are wholesome, healthy, and delicious. Despite how easy this is, this recipe will make you feel almost like a chef since you’re turning simple ingredients into something so tasty!
Get more gluten-free main dish recipes.
Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Half Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Bell & Evans Half Chicken
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of 2 large lemons
- 4 cloves garlic , minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 7 sprigs fresh thyme , divided
- ¾ pound baby potatoes , scrubbed
- ½ pound baby carrots
Instructions
- Place the chicken half into a large food storage bag.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, paprika, and pepper. Reserve half the marinade. Pour the other half into the bag with the chicken, seal the bag, flip it around a few times to coat the chicken with the marinade, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours (but not longer), flipping every once in a while.
- Remove chicken from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Place the chicken, skin side up, into a 10-inch cast iron skillet (or baking dish large enough to hold the chicken and vegetables snugly but not too big), pour the marinade over, add 3 thyme sprigs, and roast for 8 minutes. Brush with the pan juices and roast for another 7 minutes.
- If the potatoes are larger than a large marble, cut them in half. Put into a bowl with the carrots and reserved marinade, toss.
- Remove the skillet from the oven, lower the temperature to 425 degrees, and pour the potatoes, carrots, and marinade around the chicken. Add 3 more thyme sprigs on top of the vegetables. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and the vegetables are fork tender, basting both the chicken and vegetables with pan juices 3 times. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Pull the leaves off the last thyme spring and sprinkle over the top. Serve with the pan juices.
Nutrition
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