WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Using quick-cooking bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts for this roasted chicken and parsnips dish, rather than a whole chicken, turned a typically time-intensive preparation into a one-skillet meal that’s quick enough for any night of the week. We started the chicken in a skillet on the stovetop to brown the skin; we then transferred the skillet to the oven to finish cooking the chicken. Roasting the parsnips right in the skillet with the chicken concentrated their flavor, and they also picked up some of the juices released by the chicken. The 20 minutes it took to roast the chicken pieces was the same amount of time it took to almost fully cook the parsnips. Once the chicken was roasted and beautifully bronzed, we set it aside so we could make the glaze on the stovetop and finish cooking the parsnips. The honey and rosemary glaze perfectly complemented the parsnips’ earthy sweetness.
SERVES: 4
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 (10-to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into 3-inch-long by ¾-inch-wide matchsticks
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add breasts skin side down and cook until skin is crispy and golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer breasts to plate.
- Add parsnips to now-empty skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Nestle breasts skin side up among parsnips in skillet.
- Transfer skillet to oven and roast until chicken registers 160 degrees and parsnips are almost tender, about 20 minutes.
- Using potholder (skillet handle will be hot), remove skillet from oven.
- Transfer breasts to serving platter and tent with aluminum foil.
- Being careful of hot skillet handle, add honey and rosemary to parsnips, and cook over medium heat until liquid has thickened to glaze, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer glazed parsnips to platter with chicken, drizzle with remaining glaze, and serve.
