s CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S SMOTHERED CHICKEN **** s   



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3-10-20 very good but buy a 3.5 pd chicken, i had a 6.5 bird so used the big cast iron heavy pan and the 12 " pan and a brick as the weight, a lot to move, but the bird was still very good and moist...
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SAM SIFTON
YIELD4 servings
TIME1 hour 20 minutes
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2:46
Craig Claiborne’s Smothered Chicken
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Craig Claiborne was a child of Mississippi who started as food editor of The Times in 1957 and did as much as anyone to help bring home cooking into the spotlight. The dish “belongs in the ‘comfort’ category,” he wrote in 1983, “a food that gives solace to the spirit when you dine on it.” You could give your smothered chicken some European flair with mushrooms and small onions in the gravy, as Claiborne did in his experiments with Pierre Franey, then his kitchen co-pilot. Or you could send yourself south to the Creole tastes of the Delta, with a blend of tomatoes, chopped celery, onion and green peppers added to the sauce. But sometimes the easiest way is the best. Try it.

Featured in: Make Dinner: A Home Cooking Manifesto.

Southern, Times Classics, Chicken, Dinner, Easy, Weekday, Main Course Mark as Cooked 1,154 ratings
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, spatchcocked (split down the backbone, breast left intact and unsplit)
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups chicken broth, ideally homemade
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PREPARATION
Craig Claiborne believed a cast-iron skillet to be essential for the authentic preparation of this dish. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Select a skillet large enough to hold the chicken comfortably when it is opened up, as for broiling. Fold wings under to secure them.
Melt the butter in the pan and add the chicken, skin side down. Cover chicken with a plate that will fit comfortably inside the skillet. Place a heavy can, stone or brick on top of the plate to weigh it down. Cook over low heat, checking the chicken skin, until it is nicely browned, about 25 minutes.
Remove weight and plate. Turn chicken so skin side is up. Replace plate and weight and continue cooking for about 15 minutes more.
Remove chicken and pour off fat from the skillet, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the flour to the fat, stirring with a wire whisk over medium heat. Gradually add the chicken broth and, when thickened, return chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the plate and weight and continue cooking over low heat about 20 to 30 minutes longer or until the meat is exceptionally tender. Spoon the sauce over it.
Cut chicken into serving pieces, and serve with the sauce and fluffy rice on the side.
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COOKING NOTES
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djh2 years ago
Absolutely delicious. Have made this at least ten times. Prefer it with bone in thighs.
I usually add a splash of white wine, a few sprigs of thyme, & 2-3 garlic cloves to the gravy.
To truly have tender chicken, braise in the gravy for an hour--needs much longer than 20-30 mins.
259 This is helpful

Amy2 years ago
The most important tip I've (finally) learned is to thoroughly pat the skin dry before putting in. Best to let the chicken or meat come to room temp, maybe even put some salt on to draw moisture out. Then pat dry. Took me decades, but this works for all cooking. This recipe is great training. I love it. I agreed with the comment below about starting the pan a little hotter, then turning it down with the weight on.
160 This is helpful

annieurban2 years ago
I've been buying whole chickens, spatchcocked, at my local butcher shop: the right size for cast-iron preparations. I know everyone else has raved about this recipe, but my husband and I found it dated. We felt like our mothers cooked this in the '60s. The sauce is bland and full of calories. Next time I'll follow recipe up to gravy step and instead use wine and broth, some thyme and garlic, a dash of sirracha? Otherwise cooking directions are perfect: yields a nicely browned, juicy bird.
88 This is helpful

Tessa2 years ago
Drying thoroughly is helpful. I find that another way to help keep the chicken from sticking is not to disturb it until the skin is well browned. If you try to turn the chicken before the skin is browned the skin will stick to the pan.
77 This is helpful
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