Bachelor Chicken Puttanesca

I have 6 chicken thighs and a bottle of storebought puttanesca sauce. I'm gonna season the chicken and brown on both sides, and then pour the sauce in the cast iron skillet, and then bake it in the oven on low heat until finished. How long should I cook the chicken (I'm thinking 325 for an hour), or is there a better approach to this idea?

Savagecabbage
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4 Comments

Charlie S.
Charlie S. February 10, 2019
No cast iron with a puttanesca sauce -- you'll get a rusty nail/stripped seasoning taste in the dish. If you sear the breasts on both sides and then finish in the oven, one hour is far, far too long. They'll be shoe leather after an hour, 10-15 minutes at 350 to 375 is more like it. Pound the thick end out a bit with the bottom of a 2qt saucepan with the breasts between cling film or two kitchen storage bags. You can easily sear and finish the breasts on the stovetop without using the oven at all. Again, pound out a little to even out the thickness.

Cook to 150-155 internal and let them rest, carryover cooking will raise the temp seven to ten degrees or so. Some chefs go less.
 
Charlie S.
Charlie S. February 10, 2019
I see you're cooking thighs -- an hour is still too long, but wouldn't be as disastrous as if cooking breasts.
 
Savagecabbage
Savagecabbage February 10, 2019
Thank you! I've only had success not drying out chicken by baking it or in chili. Still relatively new to cast iron as well. Sounds like I could do the whole thing with stainless steel on the stovetop. I was going to add cheese and broil it (probably not anywhere close to a traditional puttanesca) which was where the oven component came in.
 
Nancy
Nancy February 10, 2019
Sounds about right.
Many recipes call for 1 hour at 350F (medium heat, which your 325F is close to).
Another way to check doneness is when they reach internal temp 165F (insert thermometer in meat part, don't touch bone).
 
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