Cast Iron Chicken — The Sunday Roast That Fills Hattie Pearl’s Skillet and Every Seat at the Table

The garden is talking to me this week. That sounds crazy, I know, but any gardener will tell you the same thing. When the soil warms up in April, you can almost hear it waking up. The tomato plants I put in two weeks ago are standing up straight now, reaching for the sun like children stretching in the morning. The okra I seeded is just barely showing — tiny green fingers poking through the dirt. And the herbs. Lord, the herbs. The basil is coming in thick, the rosemary bush that's been in that corner for fifteen years is spreading like gossip, and the mint — well, the mint is doing what mint does, which is take over everything if you let it.

Earl and I spent Saturday morning in the garden together. He can't bend down like he used to, so he sits in his chair and points. "That one needs water." "Those are too close." "You missed a weed." I say, "Earl Henderson, if you can see the weeds so well, you're welcome to pull them." He says, "I'm supervising." This is our routine. It has been our routine for thirty years. I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world.

At school this week, something happened that I need to tell you about because it's the kind of thing that reminds me why I do what I do. There's a girl in second grade — I won't say her name, that's not my business — who comes through the line every day with her eyes down. She never asks for anything extra. She never talks. She takes her tray and sits in the corner and eats every single bite, and then she folds her napkin and stacks her tray neat as you please. Tuesday, she came through the line and I put an extra roll on her tray. She looked up at me. She didn't say thank you. She didn't have to. That look — I've seen it a thousand times. It's the look of a child who is hungry at home. I know that look because I wore it. I grew up in a house where food was sometimes a question mark, and I remember what it felt like when someone answered that question.

I've been saving fruit for her. Apples and bananas, when we have extra. I put them in a brown bag with a napkin and leave them at the end of the line where she can take them without anyone seeing. I have been doing this for various children for thirty-one years. It is technically against policy. I do not care.

Denise came over Sunday for dinner. She brought her husband Robert and their two kids — Monique, who is thirteen and wants to be a teacher, and Andre, who is ten and wants to be everything. I made roast chicken with rice and gravy, collard greens, and cornbread in Hattie Pearl's skillet. That skillet is sixty-some years old and it has never seen soap. You season it with oil and heat and time, same way you season a life. Monique helped me make the cornbread and I showed her how to test if the skillet is hot enough — you flick a drop of water on it and if it dances, you're ready. She got it on the first try. That child has kitchen hands.

After dinner, Earl fell asleep in his recliner and the kids went outside and Denise and I sat at the table and she said, "Mama, you look tired." And I said, "Baby, I am sixty years old and I cook for four hundred children and then I come home and cook for your daddy and then on Sunday I cook for you. Tired is what I am." She said, "Maybe you should think about retiring." I said, "Maybe you should think about minding your business." She laughed. I wasn't entirely kidding.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Denise’s comment about retiring is still rattling around in my head, but I’ll tell you what’s not going anywhere’ that skillet. When I want to feel settled, when I need to remember who I am and what I know, I reach for cast iron and a cut-up chicken, because there is nothing on this earth more honest than the sound of meat hitting a hot pan. Here’s exactly how I made it.

Cast Iron Chicken with Pan Gravy

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, and breasts)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or rendered chicken fat
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
• For the pan gravy:
• 2 tablespoons reserved pan drippings
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, warmed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
• For serving:
• 4 cups cooked white rice

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Heat your oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken pieces completely dry with paper towels — dry skin is the whole secret to the crispiness. Mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried thyme in a small bowl and season every surface of every piece.
2. Test your skillet. Set a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. To test if it’s ready, flick a single drop of water onto the surface. If it dances and disappears immediately, you’re ready. Add the oil and let it shimmer.
3. Sear the chicken. Place the chicken pieces skin-side down in the hot skillet without crowding. Do not move them. Sear for 5 to 6 minutes until the skin is deep golden and releases cleanly from the pan. Flip each piece and sear the underside for 2 minutes more.
4. Finish in the oven. Add the butter, smashed garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs to the skillet. Transfer the entire skillet — handle and all — to the preheated oven. Roast for 28 to 32 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 165°F and the skin is crackling and deep brown.
5. Rest the chicken. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and tent loosely with foil. Let them rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not skip this. The resting is when the juices settle back in.
6. Make the pan gravy. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the skillet, leaving any browned bits on the pan floor — that is where the flavor lives. Set the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture smells toasty and turns a light tan. Slowly pour in the warm chicken broth, whisking as you go to prevent lumps. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy thickens enough to coat a spoon. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
7. Serve. Spoon rice into shallow bowls or onto plates. Lay the chicken over the rice and ladle the pan gravy over everything. This is Sunday dinner. Serve it while it’s hot and let everyone sit down together.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 465 | Protein: 39g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 610mg