Skillet-Roasted Chicken and Stuffing

Hello!

It's been entirely too long...

I hope you all are doing well. Thank you to everyone who has still stopped by my blog, even though I have not posted anything in several months. I never intended to be gone for that long, but my goodness, this year has flown by! You may have noticed I have not posted a recipe since February. I do work full-time, and back in February I took on several new responsibilities at my job. Needless to say, I had a very busy first few months of the year, and I kind of just let other things fall by the wayside. Thankfully, things have started to slow down and I have a much more manageable workload.

I'm really excited to be back this week as I prepare for one of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving! I will say that Christmas has always been my absolute favorite holiday, with Thanksgiving coming in a close second. As I get older, I am growing to appreciate Thanksgiving more and more. While I love Christmas and what it stands for, it certainly gets more stressful to prepare for year after year. I think I just love the simplicity that is Thanksgiving: family and food. There's no gift buying to do, just good food and time to spend with family and friends.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I started some of my prep today. I have homemade chicken stock simmering on the stove as we speak and am getting ready to start on pie crust.

That brings us to today's recipe (sorry for the long intro!), Skillet-Roasted Chicken and Stuffing. I came across this recipe on an episode of Cook's Country and have intended to make it for quite some time. I finally made it a couple weeks ago and it did not disappoint. I love a good, homemade dressing, but it can be time consuming. This recipe simplifies the stuffing but does not sacrifice quality or flavor. What I like most about this is that the chicken and stuffing is all done in one pan. Easy prep and easy clean up makes this a great dish for a weeknight meal.

Also, if you are anticipating a small crowd for Thanksgiving, this dish would be a great alternative to making a large turkey with all the sides.

Skillet-Roasted Chicken and Stuffing
Adapted from Cook's Country, February/March 2013

Ingredients

• 1 small, whole chicken (4-5 lbs)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme (I did not have fresh so I used dried and I used a little less because I wanted to add some fresh parsley for some added green)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, minced
• 7 ounces French Bread cut into 1/2-inch pieces (6 cups)   
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, adjust oven rack to low-middle position. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in half of the sage and thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then brush the herb/butter mixture all over the chicken, set aside. 
2. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in an oven-safe, 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery and saute until softened, about five minutes. Add remaining sage and thyme, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
3. Off the heat, place chicken breast side up in the skillet. Arrange bread cubes around the chicken in the bottom of the skillet. Transfer skillet to the oven and roast until breasts register 160 degrees and thigh register 175 degrees, about one hour to one hour fifteen minutes. Rotate skillet halfway through roasting.
4. Carefully transfer chicken to serving plate and lightly tent with foil. Allow chicken to rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving. 
5. Stir the toasted bread and vegetables (skillet handle will be hot!) until incorporated. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, uncover and stir in chicken broth and any chicken juices that have accumulated on the plate. Warm stuffing over low heat for about three minutes.
6. Carve chicken and serve with warm stuffing.

Note: If you do not already own one, I highly suggest that you invest in an instant-read meat thermometer. I own this one by ThermoWorks and love it! It has not let me down.