Healthy 3-Ingredient Pan Fried Chicken

Have you ever eaten a perfectly browned, yet moist piece of chicken?  I have and it’s divine!  Juicy, simple, yet incredibly delicious.

The only problem was that I had no idea how to make chicken like this.  I knew how to grill or roast meat, but to make pan fried chicken was a concept that I just didn’t understand.  At a cooking demo a few months ago, a chef demonstrated how simple and easy this process is.  So simple that it involves only 3 ingredients.

THREE!

Since then, I’ve made pan fried chicken many times. My husband loves this recipe and so do I since literally nothing is wasted.

The key is to buy chicken thighs with the bone and skin. I know, I know… some people have issues with dark meat. But the beauty of this recipe is that you’ll render the fat (called Schmaltz) from the dark meat (which there isn’t much of it in the white) in order to make this dish delicious.  If you can, buy pasture-raised and/or organic meat.

As for the bone, those folks who don’t want to bother with the bone could get boneless. However know that you cannot make this recipe without the skin. The skin is non-negotiable.  Plus it will become incredibly crispy which only adds to this wonderful dish.

As for the bone, I’ve found that the thighs that still have the bone and skin are considerably cheaper than those without them. I use a sharp knife to remove the bones and then freeze them in a baggie to then make bone stock once I have enough.  Now you’re getting way more ‘bang for your buck’ by removing them yourself.

I can’t promise that this dish will last long in your home — it’s THAT good. I have a very difficult time restraining myself from eating all the chicken I made. It’s something that will cook over the course of 20 to 25 minutes. This recipe is a low maintenance recipe since you don’t have to hoover over it the entire time. You can spend the time chopping up some fresh veggies like onion, garlic and squash. Once done, I toss in the veggies for a quick sauté.  You could also add some rice if you want a veggie rice pilaf. Whatever you do, don’t throw away the fat. It has an excellent flavor which makes everything you cook in it taste wonderful.

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3-Ingredient Pan Fried Chicken

Have you ever eaten a perfectly browned, yet moist piece of chicken? I have and it’s divine! Juicy, simple, yet incredibly delicious.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Americas

Gluten Free Courses Gluten Free Mains

Servings 2 Servings

Prep Time 5 Minutes

Cook Time 25 Minutes

Passive Time 30 Minutes

Ingredients

• 4 Chickens thighs With skin, deboned
• sea salt
• ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Rinsed and pat your chicken pieces dry. Then evenly salt both sides of the meat.
2. Heat pan over medium and salt both sides of each chicken thigh. Place each chicken thigh skin-side down and allow to cook for about 15 to 18 minutes until skin is easily removable from pan surface thanks to the rendering fat. This is really important -- don't try to pull the skin off of the pan. It will initially stick, but will release from the pan once it's almost ready to be flipped.
3. Once the skin is nicely browned, turn the chicken for another 5 minutes to fully cook the underside and lightly brown.
4. Remove from heat and add black pepper to your liking. Use chicken fat for a future use such as sautéing veggies or cooked grains for added flavor.