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pan-roasted chicken with bacon and apples

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I love this Pan-Roasted Chicken with Bacon and Apples so much that I put it on the cover of my first cookbook, The Zenbelly Cookbook! I first learned a variation of this at a little bistro I worked at in upstate New York, where I learned so much about food, about working as a team, and about myself. But that’s for another post.

pan roasted chicken with bacon and apples

pan roasted chicken with bacon and apples

(want the recipe in all its printed glory? Buy the cookbook!)

the zenbelly cookbook

What can you find in The Zenbelly Cookbook, you ask? Good question! Here are the things I’m most excited about:

  1. How To’s: The beginning pages of The Zenbelly Cookbook are chock full of tips and techniques, complete with step by step photos to go with them. You’ll learn everything from how to source quality ingredients, to how to hold a knife, to how to cut up a whole chicken.
  2. Photos: 2 per recipe! Each recipe in the book has an ingredients photo (like the one below) and a plated photo (like the one above) I had so much fun doing both of these shoots, but mostly the ingredients shots. There’s something about organizing things neatly that brings me zen. Plus, I love how it gives a visual “before”, so you can see all of the ingredients you’ll be using. I hope you love them, too.
  3. Recipes! Duh, I know. But I’m so excited to share these recipes with you. While there are some favorites from the blog that just had to be included (like NY Style Pizza Crust and No Joke Chocolate Cake), about 100 out of the 110 recipes are brand new.
  4. Menus: I’ve included several menus for you, including an adventurous Thanksgiving spread, and a fancy multiple course dinner party menu that you can make 98% of ahead of time. Imagine how impressed your guests will be when you present them with an incredible dinner, all the while being nothing short of cool and collected. HOW DO YOU DO IT?! (Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me!)

paleo pan roasted chicken with bacon and apples

This week, I’m sharing one of my all-time cooking methods with you. Pan roasting is a great way to not only speed up the process of cooking a whole chicken, but also makes it easy to infuse a ton of flavor into the bird. The end result is crispy skin, tender meat and more flavor than you think is possible from a 45 minute dinner!

paleo pan roasted chicken with bacon and apples

WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN HOW TO CUT UP A WHOLE CHICKEN – IT’S PROBABLY EASIER THAN YOU THINK! 

video made by Jesse Kane / American Made Films

chicken with bacon and apples

Print

pan roasted chicken with bacon and apples

pan roasted chicken with bacon and apples
Print Recipe

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5 from 1 review

Comfort food, elevated. (But still simple to make!)

  • Author: Simone Miller
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken, (cut up into 8 pieces)
  • 1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 pound bacon, (cut into lardons)
  • 1 cup sliced shallots ((about 3 large))
  • 1 apple, (sliced in ½-inch-thick half-moons)
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  2. Season the chicken pieces liberally on both sides with the salt, and just on the flesh side with the pepper.
  3. Heat a large, dry cast-iron, or other oven-safe, skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken pieces skin side down in the hot skillet until nicely browned and crispy. Flip and cook on the flesh side for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and nestle in the thyme sprigs. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, brown the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes.
  5. Pour off all but about a tablespoon of the fat, and add the shallots and apple. Saute for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until the shallots are softened and the apples start to brown.
  6. After the chicken had cooked for 15 minutes, add the bacon apple mixture to the pan with the chicken, doing your best to nestle it between the pieces as opposed to covering the skin.
  7. Roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

 

 
 

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Comments

      • You start with skin side down and flip to flesh side then flip again wouldn’t it be skin side down again but it says you end skin side up. Not trying to be critical just helpful. The recipe sounds delicious!

      • Oh I know. I appreciate it! Better here than once it’s in in print 🙂 You start with the skin down, then flip it so the flesh side is down, and then flip again so it’s back where the way it started, skin side up. I’ll have 10 more people read it to figure out why it’s not reading clearly. Thank you!!!

      • You’re right you’re right! You know this, obviously, sorry it took me forever to understand what was wrong… I’m sleep deprived. Thanks and sorry!

    • This thread is interesting and I’d love to put in my 2 cents. I flipped only twice (once per side) and this dish came out killer delicious. My experience with recipes is that 1 out of 10 might be a keeper. This is not only a keeper, this one is my new favorite! Oh, so delicious. Thank you for sharing your talents. 🙂

      Reply

  3. Start with skip down, flesh up
    flip to flesh down, skin up
    flip again to skin up? it’s already up
    Other than that it looks yummy!

    Reply

  4. Hate to say it, zenbelly, but both the recipe and your reply to JenniLoryn don’t make sense. Skin down, flesh down, skin down is how it is written…. even though you say to finish with skin up. If you start with skin down and need to finish with skin up, then it would have to be: skin down, flesh down, skin down, flesh down…. that would make it end with skin side up. Make sense?

    Reply

    • Yup! I finally figured out why it wasn’t making sense in my head. Argh. Sorry about that! Edited.

      Reply

  7. Skin side down first, flip to flesh side, sear, end up with skin side up. I understood right away, was hard to find the mistake. Sounds like a great recipe cant wait to try it.

    Reply

  10. Ohmyheavens, I just made this for dinner and it was SPECTACULAR! I wanted to lick the pan clean. Seriously. Thank you.

    Reply

  11. This is a Zen Belly day. First made the awesome Fluffy Almond Flour pancakes and for supper make this chicken dish. It was also delicious and a quite fast and easy way to cook a whole chicken. This recipe is also a “keeper”. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  12. made this for dinner last night , delish !!! I was out of wine ( shocking and I’ve vowed not to let that happen again ) but I did have an open beer which I used as a sub. and I didn’t have a whole chicken but used several chicken thighs ( bone and skin on ) It was awesome, held up well with the bacon and apples. keeper recipe for sure !

    Reply

    • I love the idea of adding the butternut squash to make it a complete one-pan meal! I’m going to try this! Did it take longer to cook?

      Reply

  14. I love to cook and usually can recognize a good recipe when I see one. This one looked marvelous. Followed your recipe and not only did the whole house smell great but my family loved it…. kids and adults. It is now in regular menu rotation. They beg for this and we now will make it when we are having company as it looks as impressive as it smells and tastes. Great recipe! I will continue to share it with all who will listen. Looking forward to getting my hands on your cookbook!

    Reply

  15. I make this all the time it’s such a family favorite. I sub 8 thighs for the whole chicken because we are all dark meat fans and it is luscious. I also use chicken broth most of the time since we rarely have white wine around. Doesn’t seem to make a difference. Really good recipe! And I love your cookbook too

    Reply

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