Brilliantly named by my husband, of course, this is a one-skillet chicken for the soul. One of my most frequented recipes during the cold months, you get all the cozy feelings of Jewish penicillin in golden pieces of chicken roasted on a bed of the same vegetables you’d find floating in your bowl. Just remember, any good Jewish deli will serve slices of challah on the side of their chicken soup, for dipping, so be sure to do the same with this skillet. You’ll want to sop up all those pan drippings!
I call for a medium-sized chicken in this recipe, but it’s not the end of the world if your chicken falls out of that range. If you happen to get a smaller bird, just start temping the breasts after 10 minutes in the oven to make sure you don’t overcook them. But more likely, you’ll end up buying a supersized chicken, and you’ll need to roast it longer to reach a 165°F internal temperature. Depending on the weight, you may need to add an extra 5 to 10 minutes. If the chicken pieces no longer fit in your skillet (I’m bringing this up since it has happened to me), just grab a 9×13-inch baking dish! Follow the recipe as is, and once you pour in the wine or stock, dump all the contents of the skillet into the baking dish with the thyme before topping with the seared chicken and roasting.
From “I COULD NOSH” by Jake Cohen. Copyright © 2023 by Jake Cohen. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Soupless Chicken Soup
This one-skillet chicken dish is cozy and delicious.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 (4-4 ½ lb) chicken, broken down into 8 pieces and patted dry with paper towels
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb carrots, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 1 lb parsnips, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 1 lb (5 medium) celery stalks, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- ¾ cup white wine or chicken stock
- 6 sprigs thyme
- chopped fresh parsley and dill, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with two heavy pinches each of salt and pepper. Working in two batches, sear the chicken, starting skin side down and turning as needed, until golden, 6-8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate or sheet pan.
- To the skillet, add the carrots, parsnips, celery, garlic, and two heavy pinches each of salt and pepper, and cook until lightly softened and caramelized, 5-7 minutes. Pour in the wine, then nestle the thyme in the skillet. Place the chicken over the vegetables, skin side up, then transfer the skillet to the oven.
- Roast for 15-20 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Garnish with chopped parsley and dill, then serve.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Ashkenazi
It looks good! I will let you know how it turns out! Thank you for sharing!
I’d rather use chicken cutlets.