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    Home » Chicken & Turkey » Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Cognac Sauce

    Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Cognac Sauce

    Feb 10, 2023 · by Valentina · 10 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Cognac Sauce is full of fresh and rich flavors. A quick and easy one pan dish, it's great for a busy weeknight, and impressive enough for guests.

    Skillet Braised Chicken with Cognac Sauce with lemon slices in a cast iron skillet

    Cast Iron Skillet Chicken is a great example of what recipes on Cooking On The Weekends are all about -- it's creative and comforting food for casual entertaining. 

    This recipe is the result of throwing a handful of delicious ingredients -- in a specific order -- together in one pan. With varying degrees of heat throughout the cooking process, within about 40 minutes an incredibly scrumptious dish will be ready.

    Jump to:
    • The Ingredients
    • Substitutions
    • Recipe Tips
    • How to Make it
    • Serving Suggestions
    • More Cast Iron Skillet Recipes
    • Can you make it ahead?
    • FAQ
    • Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Cognac Sauce Recipe

    The Ingredients

    • olive oil - Regular or extra virgin.
    • unsalted butter - I always cook (and bake) with unsalted butter so I can control how much salt is in the recipe.
    • shallots - Shallots are slightly more mild and delicate than red onions. Choose shallots without bruises that are heavy for their size.
    • garlic - Look for firm heads of garlic without any soft spots or green shoots, which are indications of old garlic. Raw garlic cloves should be firm without any dark spots.
    • dried thyme
    • chicken - This recipe calls for a whole cut-up chicken that's bone-in, skin-off. You will likely only find a whole cut-up chicken that's bone-in, skin-on. It's easy to remove the skin at home. Fresh raw chicken should be a light pink color with white pieces of fat, little to no odor, soft and moist.
    • chicken stock - Preferably sodium-free, and if not, low-sodium.
    • cognac
    • lemon slices and juice - When Meyer lemons are in season (most of winter), I choose them over regular lemons. Meyer lemons are a touch less tart and a bit sweeter. And with a thinner skin and fewer seeds, they are incredibly juicy.
    • salt - I cook (and bake) with Kosher salt. I prefer it over other salts for a few reasons: its larger flake size, it's less refined and usually doesn't contain additives, and it does a great job enhancing the flavor of foods without making them taste salty.
    • black pepper - Preferably freshly ground.

    (See recipe card below for quantities.)

    Substitutions

    • Use yellow or red onions if you don't have shallots.
    • You can substitute fresh thyme for the dry thyme. If you do, use three times the amount.
    • Cooking with cognac is delicious. If you don't have it however, cast iron skillet chicken works well with sherry, too. Or, you can omit it, and make up the difference with chicken stock.

    Recipe Tips

    • If your chicken has the skin on, it's helpful to use a paper towel to gently pull it off -- especially for the legs.
    • The pan should be extremely hot when you add the chicken -- the idea is to quickly brown both sides, before cooking it through once the other ingredients are added. If you don't hear a sizzling sound when the chicken hits the pan, it's not hot enough yet.
    • It's possible the chicken breasts will take an extra couple of minutes since they're thicker than the other pieces. If they seem under-cooked at the end of the cooking time, remove those that are cooked through and let the breasts cook for another few minutes.
    Skillet Braised Chicken with Cognac Sauce in cast iron skillet with lemon slices

    How to Make it

    - Add oil and butter to an a large cast iron skillet. Place it over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic.

    - Sauté just until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the thyme and stir.

    - Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Move the shallots to the sides of the pan, turn the heat to high and add them to the skillet. Brown both sides and then turn the heat to low.

    Cast iron skillet with browned skinless chicken pieces.

    - Add chicken stock, cognac, lemon juice and lemon slices to the skillet.

    Cast iron skillet with browned skinless chicken pieces with lemon slices.

    - Cover, reduce the heat to low and braise just until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

    - Add a little more butter and let it melt into the sauce.

    Skillet Braised Chicken in cast iron pan

    (More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

    Serving Suggestions

    • For a hearty, wonderful meal, it would delicious to serve it with a rice dish, that will soak up any extra sauce. I love it with  Roasted Garlic Basil Brown Rice, Cranberry Wild Rice or Poblano Pilaf. 
    • Potatoes and other hearty vegetables are always great to pair with chicken. Rustic Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes and Spinach Ricotta Rolls would both be perfect with this recipe.
    • You can't go wrong adding a salad to a Cast Iron Skillet Chicken dinner. It's fantastic (and beautiful!) with Colorful Citrus Carrot Salad and Pickled Ginger Salad with Citrus and Wasabi Dressing.

    More Cast Iron Skillet Recipes

    • Skillet Sweet Potato Chicken
    • Cornbread with Jalapeño and Bacon
    • Slow Cooked Red Cabbage Stew
    • Root Vegetable Baked Skillet Lasagna

    Can you make it ahead?

    While the leftovers are fabulous, this is best served right out of the skillet after it's done cooking.

    FAQ

    What is Cognac?

    Cognac is a specific type of brandy that's produced from distilled white wine.

    For more information about Cognac, check out this Field Guide to Cognac.

    Skillet dinners are a favorite in my house, and Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Cognac Sauce is one of the best!

    Enjoy!

    Skillet Braised Chicken in cast iron pan

    Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Cognac Sauce Recipe

    Valentina K. Wein
    A comforting, quick and easy, one pan dinner full of fresh aromatic, delicious flavors. It's great for a busy weeknight, and impressive enough for guests.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 528 kcal

    Equipment

    • 12-inch cast iron skillet

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
    • ¾ cup thinly sliced shallots
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
    • 1 (approximately 3½-pound) whole, cut-up chicken, skin-off, bone-in
    • ½ cup chicken stock
    • ¼ cup cognac
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1 medium-sized lemon, washed, very thinly sliced
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Sauté the shallots, garlic and thyme. Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a large cast iron skillet (approx. 12-inch). Place it over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic. Sauté until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the thyme, stir, and let it become aromatic -- about 30 seconds.
    • Brown the chicken. Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to high and add them to the skillet. Brown both sides of the chicken and then turn the heat to low-medium. (You're not cooking the chicken through here, just browning the surface.)
    • Make the sauce and add it to the skillet with lemon slices. In a small dish, mix the chicken stock, cognac and lemon juice together and then evenly pour it over the chicken. Add the lemon slices around, on top and below the chicken.
    • Braise. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and braise just until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. (Cooking times will vary slightly, and often larger pieces, like the breasts, will take more time than smaller pieces.)
    • Finish the sauce and serve. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and let it melt into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve! (Here's How to Season to Taste.)

    NOTES

    Calorie count is only an estimate.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 528kcal
    Keywords chicken for family dinner, savory lemon recipes
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. David

      June 05, 2015 at 4:48 pm

      This does look easy - and elegant, too. The kind of casual elegance that makes people think, "HOW does she do this?" Not this weekend, but I will be trying this soon... (Mark is a chicken fanatic...) Do you think it would work with boneless if I reduced the cooking time?

      Reply
      • David

        June 06, 2015 at 4:38 pm

        I am so grateful to you at this moment. Between the cucumber dill canapés and this, I have my menu for Tuesday all set. Thursday will be the canapés and fish poached in tomato-saffron broth. Thanks, Valentina!! (I am going to use boneless, skinless thighs...) xox

        Reply
        • valentina

          June 07, 2015 at 4:06 pm

          Thanks so much, David!!! Do let me know how it goes! XO

          Reply
      • valentina

        June 07, 2015 at 4:03 pm

        Yes, David, absolutely! xo 🙂

        Reply
    2. Judy @My Well Seasoned Life

      September 25, 2016 at 9:34 pm

      Made this for my friend and her daughter. They loved it as well as I did. So simple to make and very flavorful. Yumm.

      Reply
      • valentina

        September 26, 2016 at 7:51 am

        Awesome, Judy! Thanks for letting me know and I'm so happy you liked it! XO 🙂

        Reply
    3. Karen (Back Road Journal)

      December 23, 2020 at 1:42 pm

      The cognac sauce certainly takes the chicken to a whole other level. The meal looks great.

      Reply
      • valentina

        December 24, 2020 at 7:45 pm

        Thanks so much, Karen. Hope you love it. Happy holidays! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    4. Dawn

      February 13, 2023 at 9:46 am

      This looks and sound so so yummy, Valentina!! I'm thinking it would be perfect for Valentine's day or just a random date night at home, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. You're seriously making me hungry right now!! 🙂

      Reply
    5. Liz

      February 25, 2023 at 9:14 am

      What an easy, yet elegant entree. Adding cognac is genius (and I'm never going to drink the bottle that's in my liquor cabinet, LOL).

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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