Marry-me chicken

The skillet pin: seared chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, cream, parmesan. Named like a dare, cooked like a Tuesday.

Made it?

35 min · 30 min hands-on · pull 157°F · rest 5 min

Ingredients

3 lb on the fire · ~2.1 lb to the table · 4 plates at 8 oz

1
Season the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika. Sear in oil 4 minutes a side until browned. Set aside — it is not done.
2
Garlic and tomatoes in the pan 1 minute. Stock, scrape, reduce by half. Cream, parmesan, chili.
3
Return the chicken. Simmer until 157°F in the thickest breast, 5–8 minutes. Sauce should coat a spoon.
4
Basil. Rest 5 in the pan. Serve with something that will catch the sauce.

Breast → Boneless thighs. Juicier. Pull 175°F. Same sauce.
Heavy cream → Half-and-half plus a knob of butter. Thinner. Reduce a little longer.

Mushroom
You want more savory. Sauté sliced cremini after the chicken comes out, then the garlic.
No cream
A lighter pan. Stock, tomatoes, a spoon of the sun-dried-tomato oil, finish with parmesan only.
Pasta
A whole dinner. Loosen the sauce with pasta water and toss with short noodles.

On the plate

With this dish, try making petite roasted potatoes.
Same pan as a roast or chicken. Or a sheet next to chops. Halve, oil, salt, rosemary. 425°F cut-side down until the faces brown. Toss in the meat drippings at the end.
40 min
With this dish, try making vinegar slaw.
Anytime. Better after an hour in the fridge. Cabbage, carrot, cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper. No mayo if the meat is already rich.
20 min
With this dish, try making potato salad.
While the meat rests. Waxy potatoes, salt in the water, mustard-mayo, pickle, celery. Fold when the potatoes are still warm.
45 min