Seared Chicken Breast With Potatoes and Capers

By Sarah Copeland

Seared Chicken Breast With Potatoes and Capers
Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(273)
Comments
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Pan-seared chicken is a skill with countless rewards. (If this is your first time making chicken this way, you’ll understand why fast.) You'll want to start the chicken on the stovetop and finish it in the oven. Then, once it's perfectly cooked, you can pair it with almost anything, whether a simple green salad or a side of smashed potatoes loaded with butter, mustard, capers and chopped lemon, as it is here. The trick is to steam, not boil, the potatoes, which gets them soft and smashable quickly. You need very little water (an inch or so), so there’s no waiting around for water to boil, and, best of all, you won’t lose any of that rich potato flavor.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4boneless, skin-on chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • Black pepper
  • 1½pound small potatoes, washed and scrubbed (skin on), about 12 potatoes
  • 1tablespoon canola oil
  • 1lemon
  • 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1tablespoon capers, drained
  • ¼cup chopped fresh parsley
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

499 calories; 24 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 956 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.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees with the oven rack in the center. Pat the chicken breasts dry and season generously with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set aside for the skin to air dry.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, steam the potatoes in a steamer set over an inch or two of boiling water, covered, until they are just tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, season well, and set aside, covered, to stay warm and moist.

  3. Step 3

    Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your largest skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, lay the chicken breasts skin-side down. Cook without moving until the skin is deeply golden brown and releases easily from the pan, 5 to 6 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Carefully flip the breasts and transfer the skillet to the oven (or cook the breasts in batches, if needed, and transfer the four breasts to a baking sheet to finish in the oven). Cook until the juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees, about 7 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of each breast. Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest.

  5. Step 5

    While the chicken cooks, transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and smash them with a baking sheet of equal size, or the back of a clean pot, to burst their skins and reveal some of the tender flesh. Very thinly slice half of the lemon and chop slices into small pieces; juice the other half and whisk together with the Dijon, ½ teaspoon salt and melted butter to make a smooth dressing. Drizzle over the potatoes. Scatter the capers, chopped lemon and parsley all over the top.

  6. Step 6

    Serve the chicken breasts whole, or slice on the bias and serve with the potatoes.

Tip
  • You can steam the potatoes and keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Ratings

4 out of 5
273 user ratings
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Comments

Betsey

This sounds wonderful, but I have never, ever seen boneless, skin-on chicken breasts in the grocery store. Is this do-able with boneless skinless breasts, or bone-in skin-on breasts? If so, how would one modify the recipe?

TRUTH

Boneless skin-on chicken breasts? Where would one purchase those? I usually see boneless, skinless breasts, or skin-on split breasts (bone-in). Am I shopping at the wrong places (meaning, like, every supermarket everywhere)? Do tell, please.

Michael Z

The potatoes in the photo appear to have been fried or roasted after smashing but the recipe doesn’t call for this. Is this an oversight in the recipe or an aesthetic choice made by the food stylist?

Lisa

Can anyone help? I cooked this with organic chicken breasts and I don’t know why, but the chicken was unbelievably tough and stringy. Really horrid . Was the heat too high in the pan, should I have cut the chicken breast horizontally before frying ?

Ryan

Any advice on cooking the potatoes without a steamer? Thanks!

john Golden

should the smashed potatoes crisp up in the oven with the sauce added laterB

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