This is a recipe all about technique with a simple list of ingredients. Read on how you can create a golden crusted moist piece of chicken with just the addition of sea salt, a bit of lemon and a well seasoned cast iron pan.
Serves 2
2 leg/thigh combination pieces of chicken
1 lemon
sea salt to taste
Place the chicken on a cutting board skin side down and cut the leg lengthwise to expose the bone. Cut the meat loose from the end of the leg and carefully scrape the meat off the bone and continue removing the bone from the thigh. Be careful not to cut through to the skin and do not remove any of the fat
Check the deboned chicken for any tendons which can be removed with a pair of pliers
Place the chicken skin side up on a plate, uncovered, making sure the skin is not folded or overlapping
Refrigerate for 24 hours
After 24 hours the skin should be quite dry. Season the meat with salt
Heat a large cast iron pan to medium heat and add the chicken, skin side down (if your pan is not well seasoned add 1 teaspoon of olive oil)
Cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil - this will help cook the meat and keep the grease from splattering
Cook for 12 minutes on the skin side until golden brown - monitor how fast/slow it is browning and adjust the heat accordingly
Flip and cook the meat for an additional 3 minutes
Remove the chicken from the pan and squeeze the juice from half of the lemon into the pan, deglazing the pan juices and fat
Stir until slightly thickened
Drizzle over the chicken and serve with additional lemon wedges and a sprinkle of sea salt.