Pan-Roasted Spiced Chicken with a Honey-Lemon Sauce

Pan-Roasted chicken is something that everyone seems to love making at home. It's actually the first ever meat recipe I mastered (little secret - I AM a vegetarian! But don't let that scare you, just because I don't eat it, doesn't mean that I can't cook it.). The original recipe is for Lemon-Rosemary Pan-Roasted Chicken (I'll share next time I make it at home), and it is really good, but after making that a few times, I decided to spice it up and add my own twist.

This is a great recipe to impress the in-laws, so if you have them over sometime soon, you may want to try this, particularly if you are looking for something delicious with an Indian twist. A side of curried potatoes, or green veggies, and you are ready to go!

Ingredients

6 to 12 pieces bone-in, skin on chicken (6 – 8 drumsticks are the easiest to maneuver for newbies)
Kosher Salt
Black pepper (freshly ground is best)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided into 3 tbs. and 1 tbs.
1/3 of a cup fresh lemon juice
1 - 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 to 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
5 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ginger paste

1 - 2 teaspoons honey (adjust for sweetness)

2 heaping teaspoons garam masala
large, oven-proof skillet

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dry chicken by patting with a paper towel and season it with salt and pepper. Rub with garam masala on all sides, and even under the skin, if possible. Do NOT remove the skin.

2) Over medium-high heat, heat 1 - 2 tablespoons (if you have 12 pieces, err on the side of 2 tbs, if just 6 pieces, 1 is probably fine) of olive oil in skillet. Once hot, add chicken pieces skin side down and cook until deep brown. This should take about 7 minutes. Turn over, and cook on the other side for an additional 2 minutes. Note, if the chicken “sticks” as you try to turn it over, give it another minute or two on the first side. It should not stick aggressively once browned.

3) Make a sauce in a small bowl by combining lemon juice, remaining olive oil, vinegar, garlic, 2 tbs of cilantro, ginger paste, and honey.

4) Once the chicken is done on the other side, arrange it skin-side up on the skillet. Mix the sauce, and then pour it over the chicken. Don’t remove the fat in the pan that accumulated during the browning of the chicken unless there is an excessive amount (over 2 tablespoons).

5) Move the skillet to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five minutes depending on the cut of meat.

6) Remove from oven and place pieces of chicken onto a serving dish. Add the remaining cilantro to the sauce in the skillet and mix. Pour the remaining sauce out over the chicken. Serve warm.