Sauteed chicken should be crisp, moist, and flavorful, and you can accomplish this easily. Use a large skillet, or two smaller ones, because crowding the chicken pieces prevents them from browning. There should be sufficient room in the skillet so that the pieces barely touch each other, and they should certainly not overlap. This recipe contains no added fat—the bird provides plenty of its own—so the skillet should be nonstick, or at least well seasoned.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 2- to 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 teaspoon paprika

　　1 teaspoon minced garlic

　　Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

　　Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

　　

Step 1

Put the chicken, skin side down, in a nonstick skillet large enough to accommodate it without crowding; use 2 skillets if necessary. Turn the heat to medium and season with salt and pepper. Cook, adjusting the heat and moving chicken pieces around as needed to brown them evenly. As they become evenly golden brown on the first side—not very dark, but crisp looking—after about 10 minutes, turn them. Season the skin with salt, pepper, and paprika and brown on the other side. When nearly done, add the garlic to the skillet. When browned, turn the pieces skin side down again.

　　

Step 2

Continue to cook, turning once or twice more if necessary, until no traces of red blood remain when you cut into a piece or two. Garnish if you like and serve.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.