Cast Iron Roasted Chicken with Onions

I really should post this recipe on a Sunday because roasted chicken just seems like a Sunday dinner entree. But this chicken is so simple, you can serve it on a weeknight. Don’t we all need a catalog of simple weeknight dinners these days?

You will need a heavy cast iron skillet. If you do not have one, a heavy oven proof pan will do. But…Promise me you’ll run up to the hardware store this weekend and buy a cast iron pan- you need it for cornbread, roasting, frying, pretty much everything. The only other thing you need are a few herbs, butter, an onion and a lemon. You know that glass of wine you’re about to drink- save a cup of it for the sauce. How’s that for simple?

This recipe was inspired by Ina Garten’s Skillet- Roasted Lemon Chicken. She uses lots of olive oil, thyme & fennel. I really love sage with roasted chicken, so I swapped out the herbs and added butter prior to roasting. I also roast the chicken a lot longer to have a super crispy skin. Save the backbone and any bones while carving. We’re making chicken noodle soup tomorrow- you’ll need the bones for homemade stock.

We had a huge harvest of onions in the garden one year, see my photo below, so this dish really helped with an over abundance of sweet onions and what to do with them all. The onions just melt into a divine sauce. Crusty bread or corn bread, a simple green salad and white wine make this a super simple weeknight dinner. Enjoy!

Onions from the garden melt into a silky sauce with cast iron skillet chicken

Cast Iron Skillet roasted Chicken with Onions

1- 4 lb chicken with back bone removed ( save bones for stock)
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped fine
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
4 TBSP softened butter
1 lemon, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup dry white wine

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees
In a small bowl mix sage, thyme salt, pepper, garlic and butter together until well blended. Set aside.
In the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet spread out onion and lemon slices to cover the pan.
Place chicken into skillet, breast side up- pat dry with paper towels. Using clean fingers or a pastry brush, spread herb, garlic & butter mixture all over the chicken covering every part.
Place skillet in oven and roast for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, gently pour wine & lemon juice into skillet, but do not pour onto the chicken. Reduce heat to 375 and roast for another 20 minutes or until a meat themometer inserted into the thighs registered 165 degrees.
Remove chicken and let rest for 15 minutes. Do not cover or else the skin will not stay crispy.
Cut chicken into quarter pieces and serve with onions, pan juices and crusty bread or cornbread. You can place the skillet on your table with a trivet and enjoy the extra juices with more bread.