Skillet Chicken With Escarole Recipes

SKILLET HOT HONEY CHICKEN WITH HEARTY GREENS

Steps:

• Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil into a large skillet, then add the chicken thighs skin side down.
• Set over medium heat and cook, without moving them, until the skin is crisp and deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. If you can't stand leaving the chicken untouched for this long, use your tongs to press the chicken down into the pan, which promotes even browning.
• Flip the thighs over and swirl the chile into the rendered chicken fat. Cook until the meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stem and tear the hearty greens into big bite-size pieces. In a big bowl, toss them with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the chicken to serving plates, leaving the fat in the pan. Off the heat, stir the honey and vinegar into the fat until the honey's melted and everything's combined. Dress the greens with enough of the sauce to lightly coat, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. (Feel free to eat the chile peppers or leave them behind.) Serve the chicken with the salad, spooning more sauce over the chicken and salad as desired.

PAN-ROASTED HALF BONELESS CHICKEN WITH SAUTéED ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Place two cast-iron or heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillets over high heat; cast iron will yield a crispier skin. Season the chickens generously with salt and pepper; you should see the seasoning on the meat. Coat each pan with 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Once the oil is shimmering, lay the chicken halves in the pans, skin side down. It's super important to make sure the chicken lies flat and all of the skin is in contact with the pan. Cook until the skin starts to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not move the chicken or the skin will tear. Transfer the pans to the oven and roast until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the escarole lengthwise through the core and then crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Put the escarole in a large bowl of water. Swish the water around; sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl. Lift the escarole out with your hands and put it on a kitchen towel to dry; you should have about 5 quarts of escarole. It might seem like a lot, but trust me, it cooks down dramatically.
• Put a large pot or skillet over medium heat and coat with the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Raise the heat to high and add several handfuls of the escarole, stirring to coat with the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the escarole starts to wilt. When there is more room in the pan, add the rest of the escarole. Cook until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the chicken to a warm platter, skin side up. To make a quick pan sauce, pour out the excess fat from the pan drippings. Place the pans over two burners set on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons wine to each pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add 1 tablespoon butter to each, stirring to melt, and sprinkle with parsley.
• To serve, divide the escarole among 4 plates and lay half a roasted chicken on top, skin side up. Drizzle the pan sauce on top.

CHICKEN SCHNITZEL WITH SAUTEED APPLES AND ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• In a shallow dish, beat the eggs. Spread the flour and panko in 2 separate shallow dishes. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet in the flour, then dip in the egg, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge in the panko, pressing lightly to help it adhere; transfer to a plate.
• In a large skillet, heat ¼ inch of canola oil until shimmering. In batches if necessary, fry the cutlets in a single layer over medium-high heat, flipping once, until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet to drain, then transfer to the oven to keep warm.
• In another large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the apple and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and the apple is almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the escarole and cook, stirring, until just starting to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the cutlets.

CREAMY SKILLET CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a pie plate or shallow dish. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts in the flour. Shake off any excess and set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until deeply golden, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook, undisturbed, until the other side is deeply golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Then pour in the half-and-half. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken back to the skillet, cover and cook, turning about halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter filled with warm egg noodles. Add the spinach to the skillet, cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Pour the creamy spinach sauce over the chicken and noodles.

CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH BACON AND WILTED ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Place chicken thighs, skin side down, in skillet and cook, pouring off excess fat from time to time, until skin is browned and crisp, 10-12 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook until cooked through, 8-10 minutes longer. Transfer thighs to a cutting board or large plate.
• Pour off fat from skillet (no need to wipe it out) and increase heat to medium-high. Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add shallot and 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes and toss to coat. Add escarole in large handfuls, letting it wilt slightly before adding more. After the last handful goes in, remove pan from heat and toss greens to coat (some will be tender, some a little crunchier).
• Divide escarole among plates and top with chicken. Squeeze lemon over and top with more red pepper flakes.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH ESCAROLE AND SICILIAN OLIVES

Steps:

• Trim chicken thighs of excess fat, and dry well on paper towels. Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Place chicken in skillet, skin-side down, and sear until skin is well-browned, about 5 minutes. Turn thighs with tongs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sear until second side is golden, about 3 minutes more.
• Pour off fat. Reduce heat to low, add olive oil, and half of the sliced garlic, shallots and the herbs, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add wine and chicken broth, cover, and simmer 7 minutes. Turn chicken, and simmer until meat pulls easily from bone, about 7 minutes more.
• Transfer chicken from skillet to plate. Add remaining garlic, shallots and herbs, olives, escarole and lemon juice to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, increase heat to medium-high, and cover. Steam escarole until it wilts, about 5 minutes.
• Return chicken to skillet on top of escarole. Add butter, increase heat to high, and simmer until butter melts and sauce has emulsified slightly. (If sauce appears thin, transfer escarole and chicken to warm platter, then boil sauce until it has reached a pleasing consistency.) Taste to correct seasoning. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN BREAST ALA ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Mix together crumbs, garlic and Parmesan cheese and set aside.
• Pound chicken breast lightly to even out thickness (not too thin).
• Dip chicken in egg, then in flour.
• Saute in 2 T oil in large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
• Add half of escarole to skillet, sprinkle with half of bread crumb mixture.
• Add remaining escarole and bread crumbs.
• Pour in broth, then drizzle with remaining olive oil.
• Simmer, covered on low about 15 minutes, until escarole is wilted and chicken is done.

CHICKEN AND ESCAROLE SALAD WITH ANCHOVY CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook without moving until the pieces are golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to cook until well browned on the other side, another 5 to 8 minutes.
• Move the chicken to one side of the skillet and tilt the skillet a little so that the fat and drippings pool on one side. Add the anchovies and let them sizzle a bit to melt down. Add the croutons, along with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss them to coat in the anchovy-chicken fat.
• Place the skillet in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and croutons are golden brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk the grated garlic, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Place escarole and parsley in a large bowl or on a platter and dress with lemon-garlic mixture. Season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice if you like. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and shave some pecorino over the whole thing.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest a minute or two. Cut the meat off the bone and thinly slice. Place on top of the salad, along with the croutons. Top each serving with an egg yolk, if using, and more anchovies, if you like.