Julia Child’s Skillet Chicken Supper Recipe Is The Only One That Matters
Julia Child Parade magazine cover and her Skillet Chicken Supper
In 1982, Parade named Julia Child, one of America’s foremost culinary authorities, food editor of the magazine. For the next four years, Child would develop and publish great recipes in our pages, including this one from February 28, 1982. Seventeen years after the culinary icon’s death, Child’s appeal is stronger than ever.
Related: Julia Child's Tarte aux Poires (French Pear Tarte) Recipe
Parade
Child specified red and green bell peppers when her recipe first appeared because that’s what home cooks at the time were most likely to find. These days, grocery stores offer a rainbow of colors, so use any combo you like.
Related: See Julia Child and Her Husband's Sweet Valentine's Day Cards
Alison Ashton
Julia Child's Best Chicken Cooking Tips
About chicken, Child said, “It smells good, tastes good, looks appetizing, cooks quickly, doesn’t cost much—so what else can you ask of a chicken?” Here are her tricks for cooking moist chicken.
Pat the chicken dry before cooking to help it brown better.
When browning meat, avoid overcrowding the pan or it will steam. If needed, do it in batches.
Butter has lots of flavor but burns quickly. “Fortifying” it with a little oil helps protect the flavor without the smoke.
Related: Julia Child's Parade Thanksgiving Spreads From 1982–1985
Julia Child's Skillet Chicken Supper Recipe
[Inspired by Julia Child's recipe, originally published in Parade, February 28, 1982. With thanks to the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts.]
Ingredients
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces (thighs, legs, breast halves, etc.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 large bell peppers (any color or a combo), sliced
Dried thyme, oregano or Italian herb seasoning, to taste
Pat chicken dry; season with salt and black pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium. Add butter and 1 Tbsp oil to pan. When butter has melted, add chicken to pan, skin side down. (If needed, do this in batches to avoid overcrowding pan.) Cook 6–8 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Cover and cook 20 minutes or until done.
Meanwhile, in another large skillet over medium-high, heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil. Add onion; saute 5–6 minutes or until tender but not browned. Add bell peppers; saute 3–4 minutes or until just starting to soften. Season with salt, black pepper and herbs, to taste.
When chicken has 7–8 minutes left to cook, spoon out all but 1 Tbsp cooking fat. Scatter pepper mixture, along with any juices, over chicken. Cover and finish cooking, basting once or twice with pan juices.
