Easy and thrifty Chicken Skillet

I'll never be a cookbook creator, but I do know how to feed myself a good dinner and this is one of my favorites - we'll call it Chicken Skillet! 

I pull two chicken thighs out of the freezer to thaw the night before.  When I get home the next day, I season them under the skin and pull a bit of extra fat off.  What's in the seasoning?  Salt, pepper, and anything else that sounds good.  For an Italian version, I add Italian seasoning and garlic.  For Greek, maybe some thyme and lemon pepper.  Or even some curry powder.  I make sure to rub seasoning into the chicken all up under the skin and on the bottom of each thigh.  Then I let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so.

Then I heat up my baby cast iron skillet until its very hot and cook them about 5 minutes on each side, without disturbing them.  I pull them out to rest, and add chopped veggies to the hot skillet.

This particular night I used cut up carrots and shredded cabbage.  But I also love making this with potatoes, or bell pepper and onion, or brussels sprouts, sweet potato...whatever I have.  I cook the veggies until they get a bit of color from the chicken fat in the pan, season that up, put the thighs on top and pop the whole thing into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or so.

The seasoning stays pretty safely tucked underneath the crispy chicken skin.

The veggies get sort of carmelized and the chicken is tender and juicy.  Just perfect for two servings (dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow) and one of my favorite meals. Plus, bone-in chicken thighs are pretty thrifty right now.  A $6 package is 4 batches of this, and its a little different every time.

After a long day, I really look forward to this easy dinner!

Gina

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Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday