Cast Iron Chicken Recipes That'll Make You Want To Kiss Your Skillet (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook chicken in a cast iron skillet without it sticking? ›

After you preheat your pan, you may need to reduce the temperature slightly because cast iron will continue to absorb heat as it sits on the burner. Add enough oil to the pan before adding food. You'll want to use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

When cooking chicken in cast iron, ensure your pan is properly seasoned. Use high heat and an oil with a high smoke point (grapeseed, avocado, vegetable).

Absolutely! Cast iron skillets are excellent for frying chicken as they provide even heat distribution and can maintain a steady temperature.

The Cause:

If you accidentally leave your cast iron cookware on any heat source for too long, food, marinades, and sauces can burn and get stuck to the surface.

My cast-iron pan is sticky.

This may also be a seasoning issue. Wash the pan with hot, soapy water (yes — soap, it's fine, I promise) and dry it. If it's still sticky, the pan may be overseasoned. Just line the bottom of your oven, heat it to 450-500°F and let the excess oil drip off over the course of an hour.

All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.

Yes, you can season the pans for frying, sautéing, or baking in cast iron cookware like pans, pots, or skillets with butter, but it's not the right choice to season it for the first time. Butter immediately starts to smoke when added to a heated pan because cast iron can withstand a lot of heat.

You should season a cast-iron skillet at least once a month, but seasoning it after each time you cook with it also works. You may not need to repeat the entire seasoning process as you did before initially using it, but after each use, rinse it and give your cast-iron skillet a quick season by oiling it.

What is the secret to cooking with cast iron? ›

Pre-Heat Your Skillet

To ensure even heating, gradually pre-heat the cast iron skillet on a similar-sized burner. Since cast iron holds heat, it's not necessary to use a heat setting above medium. These steps help prevent food from sticking. Don't forget to use a hot handle mitt!

We recommend starting with vegetables as they are more forgiving than most proteins - they taste delicious and won't stick to your pan! Keep in mind that using a little bit of oil is necessary to help to keep food from sticking.

Not only can you cook eggs many ways in cast iron, you should: the material's superior heat retention and (especially in baking) heat distribution means better eggs—softer scrambles, crispier fried edges, and fluffier frittatas and stratas—no matter how you cook them.

A large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet will pan-fry your chicken without sticking. Using medium-high heat, wait until the skillet is hot before adding the chicken. Let it cook on one side, without turning, until properly browned. When the chicken releases from the pan without sticking, turn to cook the other side.

You can either place your oiled cast iron cookware upside down on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350°F (177°C) for an hour, or heat it over medium-high heat on the stove until it starts to smoke. This will cause the oil to polymerize and form a hard, black coating on the iron.

A large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet will pan-fry your chicken without sticking. Using medium-high heat, wait until the skillet is hot before adding the chicken. Let it cook on one side, without turning, until properly browned. When the chicken releases from the pan without sticking, turn to cook the other side.

When cooking in cast iron, you should add a little oil to the pan before adding your food. This helps ensure the food doesn't stick, and it helps build layers of seasoning. You can generally use whatever oil you prefer, as long as the cooking temperature is below the smoke point of the oil.