I haven’t often cooked chicken with the skin on, but I was recently reminded – when making this recipe – of the amazing smell of roasted chicken taking over the house. Pan-frying chicken is also not as hard as I thought it would be. It just takes patience. Olive oil is the only thing needed for the pan, and once you put the chicken in it is very important to let it sit for about 6 minutes. If you try flipping it too early the skin will come right off, which no one wants to happen. So just let it be, don’t check it every two minutes or try to scoot it around. You will be able to tell when it is time to flip the chicken over because it will pull easily away from the pan.
After the chicken is seared (I recommend searing it in batches) it can go into the oven to finish cooking. At the same time that the chicken goes into the oven you can throw in some asparagus. Asparagus can hold its own next to the chicken in this recipe and is great for mopping up the sauce.
I am a big fan of the delectable mustard sauce that accompanies the chicken and asparagus in this recipe. It is an easy pan sauce that picks up any leftover bits from the chicken and add a bold punch of flavor to the dish as a whole. For those concerned about using coconut milk, it doesn’t end up in the final taste at all. Speaking of the final taste, make sure to taste the sauce as it simmers to adjust ingredients to your personal preference. Some people like more spicy mustard, some like more honey mustard. It is easy to adjust and takes only minutes. Drizzle (or slather) it over the crispy, golden chicken for dinner this week.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, broken down into sections, skin-on
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey mustard
- 1 tbsp spicy Paleo mustard
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the ghee and one tablespoon olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place the chicken with the skin-side down into the skillet. Let sear for 6-8 minutes or until browned. Flip over and cook for 4 minutes more. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken. Once all of the chicken is seared, replace all of the chicken back into the pan and bake for 15 minutes or until completely cooked through.
- Meanwhile, place the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Stir well to coat and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven with the chicken and roast for 10-15 minutes, turning once. Remove the chicken and asparagus from the pans and set aside to rest.
- Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat. Add the white wine vinegar to the pan to deglaze, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the honey mustard, spicy mustard, and coconut cream to the skillet and simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the chicken and asparagus to serve, topped with fresh parsley.
This recipe looks great – do you have recipes for Paleo honey mustard and spicy Paleo mustard?
Hi Elizabeth, we actually don’t have recipes for those posted on PaleoGrubs yet, but will add them to our list of future posts!
I made this last week, with a few changes. I just used Dijon mustard and added a little honey. Before going Paleo, I used to make a Dijon cream sauce with spinach and mushrooms and put over chicken or steak. This turned out just like it!
Great! Thanks for the recommendations.