ImageMelissa Clark’s skillet-braised chicken with greens and olives.Credit...Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

My cast-iron skillet is nothing fancy: 12 inches, with handles on both sides to make hoisting it in and out of the oven a bit easier. It was maybe about $20 ($10 after the Macy’s mail-in rebate). But it’s taken on an incredible sheen from years of use, and it’s my favorite tool in the kitchen, my go-to pan for beautiful chicken dinners.

To be clear, you don’t need a cast-iron skillet to make Melissa Clark’s skillet-braised chicken with greens and olives; any heavy-bottomed large skillet will do. I find it really satisfying, though, to sear those bone-in, skin-on thighs in the cast iron, knowing that the rendering fat is only improving my pan (and, of course, the dish itself). I love piling handfuls of chopped escarole or kale into the skillet, their green gleaming against the pan’s matte black. And after this garlicky, punchy chicken dinner is served — straight from the pan, of course — I honestly enjoy gently scrubbing any remaining stubborn bits from the skillet and re-seasoning it with a wipe of oil. This perfect early-autumn meal is the main draw; playing with my favorite toy is a close second.

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Skillet-Braised Chicken With Greens and Olives

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Three more recipes for the cast-iron skillet: first, a five-star oldie but goody, Mark Bittman’s crispy chickpeas with beef. Mark’s earthy (cumin), spicy (ancho or chipotle chile) dish can be made with ground turkey, chicken, pork or plant-based meat (if beef isn’t your thing). Be sure to scroll through the comments for some smart additions and alterations; several readers mention frying chopped onion along with the meat, which, absolutely.

David Tanis’s tofu Milanese combines golden, panko-crusted tofu with lemon wedges and an assertive parsley-caper sauce. If broccoli rabe is too bitter for your eaters, I’d make Millie Peartree’s lemony steamed broccoli to double down on that bright citrus punch.

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