Pan-Fried Chicken
This basic method for frying chicken uses a shallow amount of fat and is perfect for a quick evening meal.
Ingredients
- 1 × chicken drumstick and thigh or 1 × chicken breast per person
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preparation Time: 10 seconds
Cooking Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Serves: Depends on initial quantity
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°c.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, season the chicken with salt & pepper and place it in the pan, skin side down.
- Fry it for 5 minutes, then turn it over and fry for a further 5 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a roasting tin and put it into the oven for 5 minutes if you are cooking breast or 10 minutes for legs and thighs.
- Check to see that the chicken is cooked by sticking a sharp knife halfway into the thickest part of the meat, remove the knife and press down on one side of the cut with the knife. If the juices that flow out are clear and colourless, the meat is cooked. If they are red or pink, the meat needs longer in the oven. If you are at all unsure, make a slightly bigger cut in the meat and have a look to see if the flesh is still pink (it should be uniform white if cooking breast or brown/grey if cooking leg or thigh).
- Remove the meat from the pan and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Useful Information
Can it be frozen? No.
Can it be prepared in advance? No.
Will leftovers be nice? Yes, for up to 3 days.
Notes
- The legs and thighs are referred to as "the dark meat", not because they posses evil powers, but because they do the most work when the chicken is alive and therefore need more oxygen, and hence blood, which turns them darker than the breasts.