Annie's Skillet Chicken Recipe
This is a pretty dish to serve to company with the mix of colors and flavors. Great for Spring! Leave a little of the carrot top on and serve on Annieglass for optimum flavor! It’s a simple recipe that uses the browned bits from sautéing the chicken and vegetables on the stove, then finished in the oven. A simple cream sauce picks up all the roasted flavors in the pan. Any frying pan that can also go in the oven can be used for this recipe. I’ve owned a black iron frying pan for so long that I cannot remember where it came from…Mom? Roommate? Goodwill? With that and some good quality olive oil and garlic, I think you can make anything taste good. There you have it, my secret to good cooking!
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil; swirl to coat. Saute 2-3 chopped cloves of garlic over medium heat. Sprinkle 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves with salt and pepper. Add to pan and cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and cook 2 minutes then remove from pan (it will not be done, just partially cooked).
Place 8 - 10 baby carrots and 8 cut in half red potatoes cut side down in the pan. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or more of chopped fresh thyme. Place pan in oven for 10 minutes at 425° F. Return the chicken to pan, cover with 8 thin slices of lemon and continue cooking all of it for 12 more minutes. Remove from oven. Place chicken and vegetables on an Annieglass platter or shallow bowl.
Combine 1½ cup whole milk, 1 ½ tablespoons flour and 1 ½ tablespoons lemon rind (basically the grated lemon rind of a whole small lemon) in a bowl. Mix with a whisk then add flour mixture with ¾ cup chicken stock to the empty pan at medium-high heat scaping up all the good stuff at the bottom of the pan, browned bits and all. Cook 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup fresh flat or regular leaf parsley. Serves 4.