Why This Recipe Works

This recipe is a twofer from one skillet. First, we season bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts under the skin with salt. We place them skin side down in a cold skillet and then turn on the heat to slowly render and brown the skin without overcooking the delicate flesh just beneath it. Once the skin is well browned, we flip the breasts and place them in a 325-degree oven for about 30 minutes to cook through. While the cooked chicken breasts rest, we add garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook them until the chicken juices have reduced and the aromatics begin to sizzle in the chicken fat and release flavor. We then add green beans along with a little water to the pan, cover the pan, and let the beans cook through. With the skillet uncovered, the savory, chicken-y liquid thickens to coat the green beans.

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Before You Begin

Trim excess fatty skin from the thick ends of the breasts.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Working with 1 breast at a time, use your fingers to carefully separate skin from meat. Peel back skin, leaving skin attached at top and bottom of breast and at ribs. Sprinkle 1½ teaspoons salt evenly over chicken (⅜ teaspoon per breast). Lay skin back in place. Using metal skewer or tip of paring knife, poke 6 to 8 holes in fat deposits in skin of each breast. Spray skin with oil spray.

Place chicken, skin side down, in 12-inch ovensafe skillet and set over medium-high heat. Cook, moving chicken as infrequently as possible, until skin is well browned, 7 to 9 minutes.

Carefully flip chicken and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken registers 160 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes.

Transfer chicken to plate; do not discard liquid in skillet. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt to skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits, until moisture has evaporated and mixture begins to sizzle, 2 to 4 minutes. Add green beans and water and bring to simmer. Cover skillet, reduce heat to medium, and cook until green beans are tender, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until sauce begins to coat green beans, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Add any accumulated chicken juices to skillet and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste. Transfer green beans to serving platter and sprinkle with Parmesan. Top with chicken and serve.