Skillet Chicken and Zucchini With Charred Scallion Salsa
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4medium bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 3 to 3½ pounds), at room temperature
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
- 1½pounds zucchini (3 to 4 medium zucchini), quartered lengthwise, then halved crosswise
- ¼cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1medium jalapeño, thinly sliced, seeded if you prefer
- 1bunch scallions (about 7 or 8 scallions), trimmed and halved crosswise
- 1cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼cup olive oil
- ½teaspoon light brown sugar
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
For the Chicken
For the Salsa
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
736 calories; 48 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 64 grams protein; 1423 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Pat the chicken very dry and season generously all over with salt and pepper.
- Step 2
Heat the canola or grapeseed oil in a 12-inch cast-iron pan or other large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Once the oil shimmers, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook undisturbed until skin turns golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook another 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Step 3
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the zucchini and stir to coat in the chicken fat. Season with salt and pepper. Do your best to arrange the zucchini in an even layer (some overlap is O.K.). Place the chicken, skin side up, on top of the zucchini, transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, make the salsa: In a medium bowl, stir together the lime juice and jalapeño; set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium. Add the scallions and cook, tossing frequently, until they begin to brown and char in spots, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove and set aside. When cool enough to touch, finely chop the scallions and toss them with the lime mixture. Stir in the cilantro, olive oil and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. Season to taste with salt.
- Step 5
Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a plate or a cutting board for about 5 minutes. If you want your zucchini more golden, pop it back in the oven while the chicken rests. Slice the chicken, if desired, and return it to the pan or serve it on the bone. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of the salsa over the chicken and season with flaky sea salt, if you’d like. Serve with the remaining salsa at the table.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Elizabeth K
Use chicken thighs--no need to brown first, the skin gets nice and crispy in the oven. I have done this using, instead of zucchini, peppers and onions, or leeks, or cauliflower, or butternut squash... I start with a layer of cracked wheat, 1 cup plus 2 cups chicken broth. This soaks up the juices from the vegetables and the chicken and is really delicious (leftovers are great for soup). Without browning ahead, you will need to extend the cooking time--45 minutes seems to work.
Courtney
Would it be worthwhile to make with chicken thighs? I assume the zucchini would have to cook in something else because there wouldn’t be fat renderings from the skin (I have chicken thighs defrosting in my fridge that need to be made; that’s why I’m asking!)
Allison
Made with thighs over zucchini and new potatoes. Delicious all around, did not find the zucchini to be mushy. The potatoes probably soaked up some of the liquid.
A
This was really a treat. I’ve never made chicken breasts and had them turn out so juicy and flavorful. Agree that the salsa is a must. My only disappointment was that the water from the zucchini was extracted during the cooking, resulting in something of a soupy mix rather than charred veggies. Still delicious, though.
Nancy
Hi Courtney - if they're bone-in/skin-on no reason not to sub for breasts. If anything, thighs will have more fat than breasts to render for the remaining bake. (And more flavor. :)
Richard NYC
You used thighs instead of breasts... yet you are crical of the recipe. Thighs have more fat, so you should expect them to be greasier. If you didn't know that, that's OK. But don't call the recipe a greasy mess!
Marcella
Delicious!! I used chicken thighs, pumped up the zucchini with lemon and garlic, and blitzed the salsa in the blender. Amazing!
Joyce
I made a rub (paprika, garlic powder, chile powder, s and p) and then marinated boneless, skinless thighs in olive oil and white balsamic for a couple hours. To decrease the water content of the squash, I sliced them into 1/3" pieces, salted them and then set them on towels. I browned the chicken in a cast iron skillet, removed it, added squash, onions, bell peppers, jalapeno, and green onion to saute. Put the chicken back on top and finished it in the oven. It created a great sauce-Delicious
Leslie
After reading other comments, I seeded the zucchini, thinking that might reduce the moisture in the pan. Despite this, like others I found that the zucchini softened but didn't brown. I took it out of the pan when it seemed to be nearly done and threw it into a hot hot saute pan to brown it, which worked well. Defeats the purpose of a one-pan dish, but the salsa was great, and the chicken was very moist, so all in all worth the extra dishwashing.
jen
This was good - the salsa and the chicken, at least. The zucchini was mushy and just okay. Like a previous comment mentioned, all the liquid released by the zucchini just made it mushy instead of nice & charred. I'd try this again with a different vegetable or with potatoes.
Nicole
I made a few adjustments: 1. I used chicken breasts bone-less, skinless - just my preference 2. I used a blender to blend the salsa into more of a sauce. 3. Like others, I added a little salt to the zucchini to try to take some moisture out while the chicken was cooking. 4. I added some small potatoes to also help soak up the moisture from the zucchini 5. Even with #3 and #4 and some extra time in the oven, zucchini was still really mushy. Overall, tasty but about average.
alinna s
Legit, the best part of this was the salsa!!! I used a Serrano but omg so good
Andy
I liked the technique here but was craving something a little Asian, so I added some garlic and ginger to the pan and topped with sesame dressing instead. Came out almost like a super quick Hainan chicken rice, with lots of good pan drippings.
Annie
Used 30-min brined skinless boneless breasts and turned out just as good. Deseeded the zucchini and covered in salt but only for 15 ish mins. Instead of putting zucchini back in the oven I sautéed them on the stovetop in the cast iron. Served over parsley brown rice. Yum.
LeeAnn
Followed reader suggestions and salted zucchini to remove water. Chicken was moist and delicious and leftovers make a terrific sandwich.
Lydia
I used to make this dish quite often because we loved the charred scallion salsa, but since we've gone vegetarian, a lot of favorites have been left behind. Has anyone used the salsa in a vegetarian dish? I'm thinking fried tofu.
Elena
I used skinless boneless breasts. It worked perfectly! I also added sweet onion and a little chopped garlic to the skillet as well. A bit of cumin and it was TERRIFIC!!!!! We served it with Spanish rice and tortillas.
jen segal
Fresh leeks and one zucchini - broiled while chicken breasts were resting. Juicy meat, and salsa was a welcome bite of flavor.
M
Amazing chicken and salsa! Chicken took 20 minutes once in the oven. Did not love the zucchini, which got a little too mushy for my tastes
Jenn Johnson
Very tasty, and easy to follow the recipe. I like that most of it was “hands off” time in the oven. I threw the salsa ingredients into a small food processor. Our chicken breasts were very large and the zucchini was completely mush by the time the chicken was done. I ended up having to cook them for 30 minutes to get the chicken to temp. Next time I will either use chicken thighs, or will add the zucchini about half way through to avoid over cooking the veggies.
Mel A
The best part was the salsa. If chicken is too large the zucchini gets soggy.
Christine
Following other comments, I used a rub on the chicken, salted some deseeded zucchini but for less than an hour, and supplemented with parboiled potatoes (because I did not have enough zucchini). I cut the oil in the salsa in half and accidentally forgot the herbs and it was still a delicious -- and easy! -- meal. Zucchini was slightly mushy, but not so much that we did not enjoy it. Thanks for the recipe!!
Elaine
Too keep the zucchini from getting mushy, after you have sliced them, salt both sides at least an hour before use. This will extract a lot of the water. Pat them dry before use.
Elaine
This was delicious! I sliced the zucchini about an hour or so ahead of time and salted the slices to extract water. This makes it easier to get them to brown in the pan.
AstridOnThePrairie
Four chicken breasts is not enough for four servings. Try eight.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
