Stop baking chicken breasts and boring your guests. Buy whole legs, learn how to cut them at the joint, and impress your friends with impeccably crisp skin.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 whole Chicken Legs (thigh and drumstick together)
- 2 pounds Cremini Mushrooms
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 6 tablespoons Olive Oil (separated, 2, 2, and 2)
GET BUSY
- Pop the stems out of the mushroom caps and slice the caps. Save the stems for making stock.
- Sauté the sliced mushrooms with 2 tbs oil and a sprinkling of salt until they're reduced by half and tender.
- Heat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Using your fingers, separate the chicken skin from the meat, all the way down the drumstick.
- Take about 1 tablespoon of the mushrooms and stuff them under the skin of each leg, making sure to get it all the way down the drumstick and across the thigh. Do this with all six legs. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the skin of each leg.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat in two separate oven-safe stainless steel pans. When the oil is rippling in both pans, use tongs to place three chicken legs skin side down in each pan. Sear for 3-5 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and crisp. Flip the legs so they are facing skin side up and place both pans into the preheated oven. Cook the legs for 25-30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and let the chicken legs rest a few minutes before serving. Remember, the handles of your skillets will be scalding hot, be careful!