Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms

And now I execute the recipe from the blog, The Spinning Plate, the one with the post called On Food that has images driving me crazy with lustful hunger. Or hungry lust. How 'bout we just get going?

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms

adapted from The Spinning Plate
click to print

one 3-4 lb whole chicken
kosher salt
pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil, divided
14-oz white mushrooms, cleaned and halved, or quartered if large
garlic bulb, extra papery skin removed and cloves separated with skin on
2-3 shallots, halved
lemon, halved; on half thinly sliced into rounds, the other half reserved
1/4 c white wine
small bunch Italian parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Butterfly the chicken, remove the keel bone, and pat dry with paper towel. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast iron skillet medium-high.

Is it just me or is the shimmer of hot oil mesmerizing?

Sear the chicken skin-side down 2-3 minutes or until the skin has browned. You can tell when it's ready by gently shaking the skillet: if the chicken moves freely, it's likely browned; if it sticks, it's not ready. Set chicken aside.

Transfer mushrooms, garlic, shallots and lemon into the skillet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Place the chicken, skin-side up, over the mushrooms. Roast the chicken in the oven 20-30 minutes, until juices run clear at the thigh or 165°F.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside without tenting.

Place the skillet on the stove over medium-high heat, add wine and juice of half a lemon to the mushrooms. Once it reaches a healthy simmer, remove from heat.

Carve the chicken and plate with mushrooms, shallots and garlic (I don't like hot citrus), sprinkle with some parsley and serve along with some toasted sourdough. Squeeze the garlic from their cloves onto everything else like creamy butter.

I'd like to note that the author, Angela, says to return the chicken to the skillet, sprinkle it with parsley, carve and serve straight out of the pan, and expect no leftovers. Be sure to do this if you have even one guest as presentation would knock their socks off.

The recipe is straightforward: prep, get the oven going, sear the bird, throw it in the oven, finish the mushrooms, and dinner is done. The chicken is tip-top, juicy-fleshed and crisp-skinned. My vegetables were cooked perfectly, but were too "winey" for me, likely due to my selection. Next time, and there will be one, I'll select a different white. Maybe something from the Barefoot family*.

Cost:

• whole chicken: $2.48
• mushrooms: $2.99
• garlic: $0.45
• shallots: $0.48
• lemon: $0.27
• wine: $0.08
• Italian parsley: $0.10

Total: $6.85 or $1.71 for each of four servings.

*Doh! Look! It tells you what's most dry to most sweet! If you click around, you'll see they rank their reds from light- to full-bodied. I might be talkin' about wine like a regular swiller shortly.

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