Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Ashley Moore.

Crispy-Skinned Chicken for One

Name: Crispy-Skinned Chicken for One
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 1
Ingredients: 1 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breast, trimmed; 1/8 teaspoon table salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper

By America's Test Kitchen

Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 1

Ingredients

Ingredient check list

1 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breast, trimmed

⅛ teaspoon table salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Perfectly roasted chicken is one of the ultimate comfort foods, but roasting a whole chicken for one is a bit of a stretch, even for the most enthusiastic poultry fans. Choosing bone-in breasts instead offers roasted chicken appeal—plentiful juicy meat and rich, crispy skin—in a compact package. Even better? We achieved all of that roasted goodness without even turning on the oven. To get ultracrispy skin on our bone-in chicken, we dried the chicken well, seasoned it, and then placed it skin side down in a cold nonstick skillet over medium-low heat; this gave the fat a chance to render as the pan heated. We used that rendered fat to cook the chicken (without moving it) over medium-low heat, covered, until the skin was a gorgeous deep golden brown; then we flipped it and cooked it, uncovered, until the meat reached 160 degrees.

Before You Begin

You will need an 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe. This recipe is from Cooking for One, which includes more than 160 perfectly-portioned recipes for the solo diner.

Instructions

Place chicken, skin side up, on cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Using meat pounder, pound thick end of breast

Place chicken, skin side down, in cold 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cover skillet, place over medium-low heat, and cook, without moving, until skin is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Flip chicken and continue to cook, uncovered, until chicken registers 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken, skin side up, to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve. (Chicken can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)