Stovetop Whole Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Fried Lemons

Last week, I had two great ideas.

The first was to make a beautiful roasted chicken with cherry tomato confit and roasted potatoes on the side for our Sunday evening pre-Game of Thrones meal. Simple, mostly hands-off, satisfying.

Then last Friday, my oven broke beyond simple repair, and the replacement was to come a week later. I have a serious relationship with my oven, so after a moment of grief, I steeled my resolve and set my sights back on the whole chicken sitting in my fridge.

Thus came the second idea: take the same ingredients and turn it into an entirely stovetop meal. Why abandon the flavors I had my heart set on? So out came the kitchen sheers and my sharpest knife, and I set to butchering my chicken. To make it easier to cook on the stove, I removed the spine first. A good sturdy pair of kitchen shears will get the job done here. I then pressed down the chicken to “butterfly” it, and then split it between the breasts to create 2 halves. This was to make it easier to cook in the pan that I have; if you have a bigger pan that can accommodate a whole butterflied chicken, feel free to leave it that way. Keep in mind, the smaller the pieces of meat, the quicker the cook time. You can also purchase chicken thighs which turns this into a quick weeknight meal.

After a good sear on both sides, I removed the chicken and quickly fried lemon slices in the fat that had rendered off. Once browned, I set them aside on a plate and added onions and garlic to the same skillet to sweat it out for a bit. Then came the cherry tomato halves, herbs, and stock. The lid went back on, and the chicken simmered away for about 30 minutes until it was cooked through. I removed the chicken to a clean cutting board and added a tablespoon of cold butter to the now-saucy cherry tomato mixture. This technique, called mounting a sauce or monter au beurre, is something I learned from watching hours of Molly Baz make food on Bon Appetit’s Youtube channel. They have a wealth of amazing educational and entertaining food content. But I digress.

We ate the chicken with plenty of the sauce, homemade sourdough, and some red and gold new potatoes that I boiled until fork tender and then tossed with salt, olive oil, and parsley. Though not my beloved crispy roasted potatoes, they were absolutely delicious.

So if your oven ever breaks, or if you just want something to do with a whole chicken that takes far less time than roasting it whole, give this saucy little skillet number a try.

Stovetop Whole Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Fried Lemons Recipe

Serves: 3-5 Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs, or 3lbs bone-in, skin on thighs

• 1 tbsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp sweet paprika

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 1 medium lemon, sliced crosswise into 1/8th inch thick rounds

• 1 medium sweet onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peels removed

• 2 tsp dried herbes de Provence

• 1/2 cup water or chicken or vegetable stock

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 tbsp cold butter

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Prepare the chicken; Place the whole chicken on a large cutting board breast side down. First take a sharp and sturdy pair of kitchen shears and cut closely along the spine on either side. Set aside this piece for future use in stock. Next, open the bird and lay it flat, inside down and breast side up. With your hand, firmly press on the chest to flatten; the breastbone will probably break. Flip chicken to expose inside and use a sharp knife to cut along the cartilage and remove breast bone, then separate the two halves.

   Combine salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika in a small bowl and then rub the surface of the chicken halves (or thighs) on all sides. Optional: chill in fridge chicken on a sheet pan, covered, for 2-8 hours in seasoning rub.

2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers in the pan, add the chicken halves, breast side down, and sear until deeply brown, about 7 minutes. Flip chicken and cook on other side for an additional 5 minutes, then remove chicken from pan and set aside.

3. With rendered chicken fat and remaining olive oil still in pan, arrange the lemon slices in a single layer and fry on each side until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a clean plate and set aside.

4. If needed, add additional olive oil to pan. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until softened and onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir to coat with oil. Add the herbes de Provence and reduce heat to medium, cooking until cherry tomatoes begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

5. Add water or stock to pan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom, then place chicken halves back in pan, breast side up. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat, basting sauce over chicken every so often, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F at the thickest part of the breast and thigh, about 30 minutes.

6. Place chicken in a clean serving dish. If sauce seems watery, reduce with lid off until slightly thickened. Turn the heat to low, and stir cold butter into the cherry tomato sauce. It should emulsify with the liquid and thicken it further, creating a silky texture. Season to taste with salt and fresh black pepper. Serve the chicken with pan sauce, lemons, and parsley.