Portion-size cuts of meat or chicken take a relatively short amount of time to cook through (as opposed to, say, a whole chicken or leg of lamb), so you can’t rely on the high temperature of the oven to sear the surface of the meat to a golden brown. (In other words, it would take longer for the meat to brown on the outside than to cook through on the inside.) Instead, the meat is first seared on the stove. This recipe is for chicken breast halves (with the skin left on during cooking for added flavor and to keep the meat from drying out), but the method can be used to cook thick pork or lamb chops; skin-on fish fillets, such as bass, salmon, and snapper; or even steaks, such as porterhouse or T-bone, which take too long to cook entirely on the stove. Pan-roasting is frequently practiced in restaurants, as it allows chefs to get a nice crust on the meat and then quickly finish it in the oven. Choose quick-cooking vegetables and other accompaniments, such as the grape tomatoes here, so that everything is ready at once.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　1 pint grape tomatoes

　　16 large black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and halved

　　3 tablespoons capers (nonpareil), drained and rinsed

　　3 tablespoons olive oil

　　4 skin-on boneless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each), rinsed and patted dry

　　Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

　　

Step 1

Prepare sauce Heat oven to 475°F. Toss tomatoes, olives, capers, and 2 tablespoons oil together in a bowl.

　　

Step 2

Sear chicken Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add remaining tablespoon oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Place chicken in skillet skin side down, and cook until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Use tongs to flip chicken, then add tomato mixture to skillet.

　　

Step 3

Roast Transfer skillet to oven and roast chicken until cooked through and tomatoes have softened, 15 to 18 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Serve Transfer everything to a platter, or divide chicken among plates and spoon some tomato mixture over the top.

　　Reprinted with permission from Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart. Copyright © 2008 by Martha Stewart. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning, daily national syndicated program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; produces Martha Stewart Living Radio, channel 112 on SIRIUS Satellite Radio; and provides a wealth of ideas and information on www.marthastewart.com.