The Ultimate Cast Iron Chicken

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I finally pulled myself away from the overwhelming urge I had to cook all of the sheet pan recipes I could find. This week I returned to my old friend the cast iron skillet. It’s so easy for me to become enthralled in whatever new tool I buy for my kitchen but I was reminded that in my life, cast iron’s are forever. This week’s Cast Iron Honey Garlic Chicken and Potatoes satisfied my poultry cravings and reminded me why I love these iron pots and pans. I would also be remiss if I didn’t tell you this meat and potatoes meal was all cooked in one twelve-inch cast iron skillet. I may have buried the lead, but it was awesome making everything using minimal utensils!

In the past, I have struggled with ensuring my chicken has cooked all the way through. It’s a tale as old as time, I either risk salmonella or overcook the chicken! This time around, I was abundantly cautious. The chicken thighs I had purchased were actually smaller than I had been accustomed to cooking. In noticing this I had to resist the urge to cook more than the 4 chicken thighs called for in the recipe. I definitely stuck to four pieces of poultry but you can bet your bottom dollar I doubled down on the sweet sauce! I could not resist. I made sure seared my chicken for just long enough and after it had baked I used my meat thermometer to make sure everything was cooked all the way through. Thankfully, there was no pink! I’m confident the minimal time I used to pan sear was the culprit for my previous mistakes. The moist meat redeemed all past misfortune and satisfied my taste buds.

While this is a one skillet dish, there was a lot of cooking parts of the meal that required setting it aside after beginning to cook for later. This isn’t my favorite technique for one pot recipes but I think ultimately it helped the flavor of the chicken, sauce, and potatoes. The potatoes also benefited from being cooked pretty thoroughly prior to baking in the oven. When the chicken was done there was no doubt the potatoes were done too. My return to cast iron cooking was a success in my book and I will definitely be pumping more cast iron recipes out in the future!

Cast Iron Honey Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

What You Need:

4 medium chicken thighs, patted dry (about 1 lb)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. butter, divided
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-in cubes
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. white vinegar

Instructions:
Click here to Cook With Me!

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until melted and hot.
Place chicken thighs skin-side down and sear 2-3 minutes on both sides until golden brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add onion and potatoes to the same skillet and saute for several minutes until golden-brown and onions are soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste then remove from skillet and set aside.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in the same skillet, then add garlic to the pan and saute 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.
Add honey, soy sauce, and vinegar to the pan and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
Nestle chicken thighs and potato mixture into the pan and use a spoon to drizzle some of the sauce over top.
Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160F and potatoes are tender.
Serve and enjoy!

Cook With Me:

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until melted and hot.
Place chicken thighs skin-side down and sear 2-3 minutes on both sides until golden brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add onion and potatoes to the same skillet and saute several minutes until golden-brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste then remove from skillet and set aside.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in the same skillet, then add garlic to the pan and saute 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.
Add honey, soy sauce, and vinegar to the pan and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
Nestle chicken thighs and potato mixture into the pan and use a spoon to drizzle some of the sauce over top.
Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160F and potatoes are tender.
Serve and enjoy!