Spice Rubbed Chicken Roasted in a Skillet on a bed of onions and garlic. This is a spin on Molly Baz’s Pastrami Roast Chicken, which is stunning and delicious!
I love a good roast chicken. My family? They are okay with it. Until this one came into the kitchen. It’s SO GOOD! Even my husband and son, who douse EVERYTHING in hot sauce, found this one didn’t need a thing. The spice rub sits on the bird for at least an hour (ideally 6-8) and flavors and tenderizes the meat, while a high cooking temp ensures crispy skin and dinner is ready in an hour!
One of the best parts of this recipe is that it cooks in 55 minutes. We tend to need a 4.5 lb chicken to feed our crew. It was completely done in under an hour at 450 degrees. One trick to this is the shallow roasting situation of the cast iron skillet, and sending the legs (tied) toward the back corner of the oven to ensure even cooking (the back left corner is supposed to be the hottest spot – who knew?).
The other best part about this dinner is the bed of onion and garlic deliciousness that slowly cooks into caramelized perfection below the bird and all those schmaltzy drippings, making the ultimate condiment. It’s one giant Visalia sliced into wedges, and a whole head of garlic cut in half horizontally, then cooked in the skins to result in perfectly roasted garlic goodness at the end!
Skillet Roast Chicken with Paprika and Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (4-5 lbs)
- 1-2 yellow or white onions
- 1 head garlic
- 5 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry your chicken. You want a thoroughly dry bird to ensure crispy skin. Place the chicken in a large shallow bowl (I use a pie plate).
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, paprika, brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp of the olive oil to form a paste. Take the paste and smear it all over the outside of the chicken, making sure to reach every spot. Place the chicken in the fridge for at least an hour to let the seasoning get into the skin and meat. Leave the chicken uncovered while resting in the fridge. Remove 20 minutes before roasting.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a rack positioned in the middle to lower third with plenty of room above.
- Remove the outer skin, and slice the onions into 8ths, leaving the wedges in tact at the stem. Slice the head of garlic in half horizontally, leaving the skin ON - this will help the cloves not burn during the roasting. Scatter the onions and garlic in the bottom of a 12 inch cast iron skillet, tossing with 3 Tbsp of olive oil, as well as a liberal amount of salt and pepper to season the onions. This will form the roasting bed for your bird.
- Place the chicken in the skillet, tying the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wingtips into the sides of the bird to make sure they don't burn. Place the skillet into the oven, with the legs facing the back left corner of the oven, the hottest part. Roast for 50-60 minutes, depending on the size of your bird, and the temp of your oven. You want to make sure the onions don't burn, which may require tossing them once 1/2 way through. If the skin browns too quickly, you can loosely tent it with foil. The chicken should read 165 in the thickest part of the thigh when it's done.
- Let the chicken rest for 15-20 minutes to ensure the juices stay in the meat when you carve it. Transfer to a cutting board, leaving the onions and garlic in the pan with the juices. Remove the legs, cut the breasts off the chicken, and slice into thick pieces for sharing. Drizzle the pan juices and carmelized onions on top of the chicken for serving.
Notes