One-Pan Crispy Spaghetti and Chicken

Not sure I understand the bone in thighs, deboned. Can I just get boneless thighs with skin on?

Could you use a LeCreuset dutch oven instead of an oven-safe skillet?

Seems like it might be easier to brown the chicken on both sides in step 2 and remove it before moving on to step 3. I can picture having a hard time stirring the onions with the tomato paste with a bunch of chicken thighs in the pan. Return the chicken to the pan after you've added the pasta in step 4.

I made this with bone-in thighs as the boneless thighs at my store did not have skin and the skin is important to making the chicken crispy and delicious. One thing I don’t understand is why he leaves the chicken in the pan while cooking the onion. The pan is way too crowded, so I removed the chicken after browning the thighs, just like you would in any braising recipe. After I added the pasta I put the thighs back in with the juices from the plate. Same cooking time in the oven; delicious.

For a vegetarian version you could substitute cauliflower for the chicken.

It's pretty rare to see boneless thighs in most grocery stores with the skin still on. Unless you have an accommodating butcher, usually you can only get bone-in skin-on or boneless skinless thighs (or any chicken parts for that matter). Thankfully it's not too hard to debone. Here's a helpful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG2nMUoD8y8

The problem would be the browning under the broiler at the very end. The dutch oven would be so deep that the food in it wouldn't be near enough the flame.

This was delicious. However, I saw no reason to leave the chicken in the pan while browning the onions, garlic, tomato paste, etc. So I removed the thighs after browning, added the other ingredients, and then put the chicken on top of the pasta before popping the pan in the oven.

This was tasty and who doesn't like the simplicity of one-pan dishes? I pulled mine from the oven when the top was nicely browned, but the pasta below wasn't crispy. Still good, but if you're looking for crispiness, you might want to check after the broiling step, and if it's not to your liking, return it to the stove for a bit to crisp up the bottom.

The fact that the spaghetti is broken into thirds may take most of the curse off of it. There is something special about spaghetti that is pan fried as here, or oven baked as in a spaghetti frittata. The ends and bends that catch the direct heat get crunchy and chewie, blending with the al dente smoothness in a way that I doubt would be replicated well with smaller or chunkier pasta. That said, if spaghetti is just a bridge too far, either of your alternatives should work.

Every week I try new recipes and often from NY Times . This one is one my husband begs for when he wants "comfort food". My 2 additions are 2-4 tablespoons additional water and a pinch of red pepper flakes added with the tomato paste. This is very tasty. I often don't have fresh bread crumbs, so I use panko crumbs, mix it with the parsley, thyme and grated lemon, then add some olive oil to moisten. Then I don't have to drizzle oil before broiling. Great leftovers for my lunch the next day.

This was absolutely amazing! I did not deboned the chicken and have no complaints. I also used grated Parmesan, fettuccine and seasoned bread crumbs ! Will make it again for sure.

I made this last night and i am making it again tonight because it was THAT yummy. However, the recipe is a little clumsy in my humble opinion. It's much smoother and easier to just sear both sides of chicken, remove from the pan, and continue with Step 3. Then add the chicken back in after the spaghetti in Step 4. I used skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. I don't really think that matters. So delicious!

Use lots of extra tomato paste and cumin. As much extra garlic as your heart desires, and of course extra parm. And, use panko instead of the fresh breadcrumbs: shelf-stable, available everywhere, and it amps up the crunch perfectly.

usually deboned thighs are also skinless.