3 Satisfying & Delicious Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes

Your cast-iron skillet is one of the most versatile cooking tools in your kitchen. It holds heat super well and makes delicious rustic foods that the whole family will love. Best of all, most things you can make in a cast-iron skillet are one-pot meals because the skillets go easily from stovetop to oven. We think you'll love our cast-iron skillet recipes. 

Cast-Iron Skillet Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya Recipe

Let's start with something spicy. Your cast-iron skillet is totally up to the task. The recipe has a lot of ingredients, but darn does it taste yummy. It makes 6 servings. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound smoked, fully cooked andouille or Polish sausage, sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium diced onion
• 1 rib diced celery
• 1 stemmed, seeded and diced green bell pepper
• 1 stemmed, seeded and diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup seeded and diced fresh tomatoes or 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon cayenne, more or less to taste
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1½ cups rinsed and drained long-grain rice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 to 4 dashes hot sauce, optional
• ½ cup chopped green onions, divided
• 1 pound (20-24 count) deveined, rinsed, patted dry tail-on raw shrimp

Directions

1. Heat the skillet over medium heat until it's hot but not smoking. Add the oil and sausage slices, sautéing to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
2. If necessary, add butter to the pan and sauté the onion, celery, and peppers until translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add diced tomatoes, garlic, cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste, mixing well. Add chicken stock and bring to a full boil. Stir in the rinsed and drained rice and return the sausage to the pan. Reduce the heat.
4. Add bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and optional hot sauce, and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
5. Add half of the green onions and the shrimp, stirring well. Cover the pot, remove from heat and let the shrimp steam for about 15 minutes until pink and fully cooked.
6. Serve garnished with remaining green onions. Pass hot sauce at table, if desired.

Skillet Chicken and Biscuits Recipe

Chicken and biscuits never had it so good. A cast-iron skillet lets you nestle the biscuits close together so they sop up all that good gravy while they cook. Essentially, this is chicken stew with dumplings on top. Yum. A deli rotisserie chicken works well, and a biscuit mix makes things a snap. Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits are especially tasty. Use a 10-inch skillet. It makes 4-6 servings. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced cooked chicken (white and dark or all white)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper or more to taste
• ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
• Biscuit dough from scratch or a mix to yield 8 to 9 biscuits
• 1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a cast-iron skillet set over medium-low heat and sauté the onions until translucent and beginning to caramelize, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the flour, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes to make a roux. Pour the hot chicken stock into the onion-flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Simmer over low heat for about 1 minute, stirring and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon, until thick.
3. Add salt, pepper, sour cream and milk. Add the diced cooked chicken, carrots and peas, and mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer while you make the biscuits.
4. Heat your oven to 375°F. Make the biscuits from scratch or a mix and scoop 8 to 9 biscuits on top of the chicken mixture. Brush the egg wash mixture on top of the biscuits.
5. If you are worried about messing up your oven, place the skillet on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. But, for a better bake, the skillet should be in direct contact with the oven rack. Place it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown (or for the recommended time on the package mix). The chicken mixture should be bubbling.

Related: 5 Easy Chicken Casserole Recipes: Simple Meals for a Busy Life

Skillet-Roasted Turkey Roulade Recipe

Your cast-iron skillet is perfect for this recipe because it gives the turkey a delicious brown crust. Just remember to heat your skillet before searing the roulade. You'll need a 12- to 14-inch cast-iron skillet. It makes 6 servings. 

Ingredients

For the turkey:

• 1 (4½- to 5-pound) whole boneless, skin-on, butterflied turkey breast (both sides) thawed, rinsed, and patted dry
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Butcher's twine
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil like canola or vegetable

For the stuffing:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small finely chopped onion
• 1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
• 2 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• ½ cup dark raisins or sweetened dried cranberries
• Zest of 1 orange
• Pinch ground cloves
• Salt and pepper

For the mirepoix:

• 1 large peeled and diced carrot
• 1 large peeled and diced onion
• 1 diced rib celery

For the herb butter:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
• 1 teaspoon sweet, spicy or smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon packed light-brown sugar

For the gravy:

• ½ cup white wine
• 1¼ cups room-temperature chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch

Stuffing Directions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet. Add 1 small finely chopped onion and sauté about 10 minutes or until soft.
2. In a medium bowl, place breadcrumbs, finely chopped apples, raisins or dried cranberries, orange zest, and cloves. Add sautéed onion and mix thoroughly. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. If the stuffing seems dry, moisten with a bit of orange juice or milk. If too loose, add more breadcrumbs. Set aside.

Herb Butter Directions

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons butter and add sage, thyme, paprika, and sugar.
2. Mix well and set aside.

Assemble the Turkey Roulade

1. Place the thawed, rinsed, and patted dry butterflied turkey breast skin side down on a piece of parchment paper or cutting board. If necessary, pound the meat very lightly so the meat is all of the same thickness. Season the entire surface of the meat with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
2. Evenly spread the stuffing ½-inch thick over the meat, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides. If you have leftover stuffing, place it in a greased baking pan and bake it for 30 minutes.
3. Beginning at one long side end, roll the breast like a jellyroll, tucking in any stray stuffing. Using butcher's twine, firmly tie the roast into a compact cylinder every 2 inches down the length of the roll. Let the roll come to room temperature.

Sear the Turkey Roulade

1. Heat a 12- to 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Carefully place turkey roulade seam side down in the oil.
2. Brown on all sides until golden, carefully turning the roll, for about 12 minutes. Remove the turkey roll to a plate.

Add Mirepoix and Roast the Turkey Roulade

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the mirepoix vegetables (carrot, onion, and celery) to the skillet. Place the seared turkey roll on top of the vegetables.
2. Baste turkey roll liberally with some of the herb butter. Place the skillet in the oven and roast, basting occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board to rest and loosely cover with aluminum foil.

Make the Gravy

1. Add wine to the same skillet the turkey was roasted in and set on the stovetop over high heat. Cook until the wine has almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and simmer until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Skim any fat from the surface.
2. Place a small saucepan over high heat and strain the liquid from the skillet into it, discarding solids. In a measuring cup, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup of room-temperature chicken broth and cornstarch. Then pour it into the saucepan and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.

Serve the Turkey

Arrange slices of the rested and sliced turkey on a platter. Pass the gravy at the table.

Your Most Functional Kitchen Tool

There's a reason we love our cast-iron skillets so much, and they just get better with age. From stovetop to oven to tabletop, we bet you'll learn to love yours, too.