Chicken and biscuits define summer, though it’s hard to imagine why. You’d think the ice cube, ice chip or jug of ice water would be summer’s signature dish. It’s not. It’s chicken and biscuits — as crunchy, crispy, hot and buttery as a sunbather on the sand.
It’s the stuff of road trip, of picnic, of farmstead idyll. Though indulging in its crunchy, crispy, hot and buttery satisfaction tastes ever-so-slightly of unfair: the cook crisping in the kitchen while the sunbather crisps on the sand.
The multitasker who manages both hot oven and hot beach — aided perhaps by ice cube, ice chip and jug of ice water — can indulge deeply in crunchy, crispy, hot and buttery pleasure. Guilt free.
Crispy Chicken
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
4 Tbsp. canola oil
2 (3-lb.) chickens, halved and boned, skin on, generously seasoned with salt and pepper
Note: Ask the butcher to halve and bone (also known as debone) the chickens or substitute a total of 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skin-on chicken breasts and thighs.
Heat: Heat the oven to 450 degrees (this is a good time to calibrate your oven). Heat two wide (about 13-inch), deep, heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillets (cast-iron or sturdy stainless-steel) over high heat. Pour 2 tablespoons oil into each pan and get it good and hot.
Crisp: Settle chicken in pans, skin side down, making sure each piece lies flat. Let sizzle until skin turns golden, 3-5 minutes.
Roast: Slide pans into the hot oven and roast until juices from thickest part of both white and dark meat run clear when pierced and the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees, about 25 minutes.
Serve: Nice crispy-side up over wilted greens (like rapini or spinach), with a biscuit on the side.
Adapted from “The Red Cat Cookbook.”
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