Dry Brined Crispy Chicken with Parsley Salad, Walnuts & Pomegranate Molasses

We teach this recipe in our Cook The Book: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. It hits all the notes.

Ingredients for Dry Brined Chicken

8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs

Red Stick Spice Dry Brine

Directions for the Dry Brined Chicken

Coat the chicken pieces with the Dry Brine. Place on a rack-lined sheet pan on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Be sure to remove any items from around the pan. Chill in the air of the refrigerator uncovered for at least 12 hours.

Ingredients for Searing & Roasting the Chicken:

Dry Brined Chicken Thighs (procedure above)

Roasted Garlic Avocado Oil

Directions for Searing & Roasting the Chicken:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Generously rub the chicken thighs with Roasted Garlic Avocado Oil. Drizzle Roasted Garlic Avocado Oil into the pan. Place the chicken, skin side down, into the skillet and sear until golden brown – about 5 minutes. Turn and move the pan to the oven, uncovered, and roast until the thighs are cooked through with no visible pink. Check the chicken after 15 minutes. Cook until an instant read thermometer should read 160-165°F. You can pull the chicken from the oven at 160°F. Carryover cooking time will get the chicken to 165°F.

Salt Fat Acid Heat at work in this recipe:
Salt: Early Salting aka Dry Brining meat will ensure crispy skin plus more flavorful & tender meat. (pg 30-31; chart pg 40)

Heat: Don’t be afraid of heat. Especially for a high-fat, bone-in piece of protein like a chicken thigh. Remember that achieving crispy, golden brown results requires both fat and heat. We get the skillet quite hot for the initial sear on the chicken then move it to a moderate oven to finish cooking. (pg 182-184)

Dry Brined Crispy Chicken with Parsley Salad, Walnuts & Pomegranate Molasses, continued

Ingredients for the Parsley Salad:

¾ cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias

½ tsp lemon zest, plus 1 Tbl lemon juice
Lemon Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions for the Parsley Salad:

In a medium bowl, combine the parsley, scallions, lemon zest and juice, a drizzle of Olive Oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

To serve the Chicken:
Dry Brined Crispy Chicken (recipe above)
Parsley Salad (recipe above)
2 Tbl Pomegranate Balsamic

3 Tbl finely chopped walnuts

Mound parsley salad on top of the chicken thighs. Drizzle with Pomegranate Balsamic and garnish with chopped walnuts.