There’s nothing I like better than a good old-fashioned Sunday dinner of roasted chicken with dressing. But somehow the idea of the roasting pan and the mixing bowl and all the other fuss and muss that can go along with it makes me wistfully turn away from my chicken with dressing dreams towards something that is a little less of a production. Until now. Until I realized that I could make it all together in one hardworking skillet. One skillet, one chicken, one table full of happy faces.
Start by putting together your dressing ingredients. I had about a half a loaf left over of my favorite country bread that I cut up into cubes, but you can use French or Italian bread too…anything that has a nice crust and a substantial interior. Now take your best deep oven-safe skillet and melt up some butter. Stir in some chopped onions and celery and herbs until everything is nice and tender.
Now place your roasting chicken breast side up in the skillet on top of the veggies, and tuck the bread cubes all around it. Rub the top of the chicken with softened butter and scatter some fresh herbs on top. Pop it in the oven for about 90 minutes, at which point it should be golden and perfect, and people and dogs will start drifting into your kitchen with hopeful, hungry eyes.
Once the chicken is done, take the skillet and put it on the stove. Gently lift the chicken out and put it on a cutting board and tent some foil over it while you finish the dressing, which you’ll do by pouring some chicken broth into the skillet and stirring the dressing around over low heat for about 5 minutes. Now cover the skillet and let THAT sit while you carve up the chicken. I know, lots of sitting. But once the chicken is carved, the dressing will be soft and perfect, and soon you will be the one sitting – around your table, watching the happy faces of folks eating chicken and dressing.
And guess what? Only one lonely skillet to wash!
Adapted from Cooks Country
Skillet Chicken with Herb Dressing
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop and Oven
- Cuisine: American
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Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 whole roasting chicken (don’t forget to take the giblets out of the inside!)
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
- 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh sage and thyme
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 5 cups bread cubes (from country or Italian bread)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Dry chicken with paper towels. Rub two tablespoons of the butter over the chicken.
- Melt the remaining butter in a large, oven-proof skillet. Saute onions and celery until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in half the chopped herbs.
- Turn off the burner and nestle the chicken on top of the veggies, breast-side up. Tuck the bread cubes all around the chicken. Sprinkle the remaining herbs over the chicken.
- Bake the chicken skillet until chicken is done, about 90 minutes. (If you are using a quick read thermometer it should read 175 in the chicken thigh).
- Transfer chicken to a carving board and loosely cover with foil.
- Pour the chicken broth over the dressing in the skillet and stir over low heat until well combined and warm.
- Slice the chicken and serve with a spoonful of the dressing. Have someone you love wash out the skillet.
I love how this all gets made in one gorgeous skillet! That herb dressing is calling to me.
It’s like a little baby Thanksgiving dinner. :)
This looks great!
Oh wow, this chicken looks amazing! I am loving this recipe :)
And only one pan to clean up! (Did I say that already?) :)
Hi, Kate,
Made this tonight–crazy good! I added a little salt & pepper & dried poultry seasoning to each layer, used a 3 lb hen, added 2 Tbsp fresh parsley to the other fresh herbs, and started in a 400 degree oven for the first 15 minutes. This will become a family staple.
Thank you so much for this and all of your other posts.
Hi Kathy! So glad you liked this one – it’s such nice comfort food, right? :)
Hi Kate! So funny, here I am almost exactly a year later and still loving this recipe. I’m thinking I could go outside the box and adapt this recipe to a 3-4 lb pork loin with fat on. We have eaten pork chops stuffed with dressing, so why not? I’m thinking oil, salt & pepper the loin, sear on all sides to seal it, set it aside while you prepare the dressing, maybe add a chopped apple to the mix. The loin would cook much more quickly, so need a shorter cooking time. Maybe 400 deg. to get the breadcrumbs browned in the shorter time?
Thanks for the recipe! I was looking for it after seeing it on TV.
Curious if you think it might work with a larger chicken and in a roasting pan? I have a family of 6 who are big eaters (especially of stuffing!).
I definitely do – will you come back after you try it and let us know how it goes?
Thank you. Made it family loved it. Lost the recipe. Thank you for keeping it on media. I watch program on tbs.
So glad you liked it! :)