Just a guess, because I've never had this problem, but you might need more oil in the pan. If you're depending on the fat in the meat, it's probably too lean. And chicken thighs especially have to be cooked with the skin side up.

Thanks, Ricky. The recipe calls for removing the skin. I had a bit of olive oil in the dutch oven…probably 2 Tblsps total for a 4 qt dutch oven. It wasn’t deep but there was a good coating in the bottom of the pot.

Maybe the pan wasn't hot enough.

What's supposed to happen is the browning forms and it stops sticking, I do it, not expertly, but I think your pan might not be hot enough. You shouldn't have time to turn away like that with little pieces of chicken. I sometimes make myself turn away when it's a big, cold slab of meat which I want an especially hard sear on, and which will be braised long, so it doesn't matter if the center cooks. Chicken pieces shouldn't take a minute. Also, it's supposed to stick less if you heat the oil, let the pan cool somewhat, then heat again. I think this works. though I only do it sort of.

I’m making the gumbo for a friend who is having knee replacement surgery today. I’m making it for 2 reasons: (1) she and her DH love my chicken and sausage gumbo; (2) I made it when she had her mastectomy and everything came out well so now it is a sort of talisman. All of that is just backstory and not pertinent to meat releasing. 😁

What is pertinent is that I try to use only as much oil as needed when cooking for others. For myself, I have no problem chilling the food and popping off the fat, but I prefer not to gift food where a large layer of fat has to be removed.

@plllog, glad to see you say ”supposed to happen.” I thought it was a given that it would happen and that I was messing up somehow. The part that didn’t stick had a nice golden brown color…a color that I would think would be desireable. P.S. these are not small pieces of chicken. They are whole, bone-in thighs, appx 1/2 lb each. I cook them for about 1.5 hours, remove the chicken, let it cool enough to handle, remove the meat and cut into bite-sized pieces and add back to the gumbo. Then it cooks for maybe another 30 minutes or so.

As carolb wrote, with stainless or enameled pans you need to heat the pan first (fully) then add the oil. You can get away with a cold start with some fatty meats skin side down.

I also heat the pan then add the oil. Prior to that I take the meat/poultry from the fridge to take some chill off. It shouldn’t stick if the pan was hot enough. Also, FWIW, a stainless steel pan will heat faster than cast iron, so your Le Creuset pot could take a bit longer.

Er...um.... I meant ”supposed to” as in if that's not happening it's not the way it's supposed to be. Sorry, :( And by little pieces of chicken, I meant in contrast to a whole bird or big beef roast. So sorry I was unclear. I've never heard the cold oil thing before. I'm beginning to think that the oil temp isn't an issue. BUT, too much oil can cause sticking! I learned to sear bare, though nowadays on raw metal, with less fatty meats, I'll do a little skim of oil, drop the temp and bring it back to really hot. I don't sear daily, and am not an expert, but it works for me. A really hot pan is important,

I’ve recently learned about heating the pan until the water dances in beads. I’ve done it in a stainless steel pan, but I was afraid I would damage my LC by heating it to that level while it was empty. Was my concern mis-placed? Can an empty LC pan be heated to the point of dancing water beads?

Le Crueset—enamel--doesn't want to be scorching hot empty, and it really doesn't want to be shocked. But the Maillard reaction isn't that extreme. I make sure my pan is good and hot, and give it time to settle in to the temperature, but on the induction, it's on 7.5. For a hard sear, I'd rather use a clad stainless frying pan, which goes in the DW, but for gumbo, I would also sear the chicken in the Le Creuset pot the gumbo was being built in. My mother taught me, in childhood, to feel the air above the cooking surface to determine when the pan is hot. You could use an IR thermometer, too. You don't need screaming hot for the chicken. Just hot. A hotter than an oven full of cookies. More like starting a double crust pie. Pizza temp could be too hot. Don't disturb the pieces once they're down, and when the underbits of the edges are starting to look cooked, nudge with a utensil. If it doesn't move, let it be. Nudge again.

Yes, it does not need to be searing hot but it should be sufficiently hot --- especially for meat. There is a magic point when the pan expands and the oil slides smoothly. I had a situation that I had to make (not meat) ----crepes for a crowd --- in a stainless steel pan. If I rushed adding the butter before the pan got hot enough, a sticky mess and a ruined crepe was my reward. With the right temp, the crepe peeled right off. Similar thing with meats, though you are generally getting a deeper sear and letting the protein stay longer.

I think how long it takes to get hot enough is variable by type of stove and pan. But you do want the oil shimmering hot.

There's some range between 2 Tbs. of oil and enough to form a layer on top when chilled. I aim for at least 1/16" deep in the pan - which may be 3-4 Tbs., so not really too much more.

I also don't use LC pans, but either stainless steel or cast iron. On my electric stove, I'm heating the pan on medium high for maybe 4-5 minutes before adding oil

Pan probably needs to be hotter, and meat left to brown longer, for the “self-release” to reliably happen.

If you’re browning meat that will go on to a wet cooking process, like a stew or gumbo, then you can use the potsticker trick - when you want to release the meat, pour a small amount (1/4 c) of water into the pan and cover, the steaming water will release the meat or at least make it easy to spatula it off.

The other option is to not let the meat stick in the first place, so plenty of oil then keep the meat moving (think stirfrying).

Finally, there’s nothing wrong with using a non stick pan, even better if it’s the seasoned cast iron kind of non-stick.

I also always heat the pan then put in the oil. I also put in a piece of meat then rapidly move it around for a few seconds until it slides around without sticking. I also do the same when grilling steaks on the gas grill. It releases the meat from sticking.

I always add oil to a cold pan and then heat it. When the oil starts to smoke, then I know the pan is hot enough. If there is nothing in the pan to start with, then it is difficult to know when the pan is hot enough.

The only reason to add oil to a hot pan is so that the oil will spend less time being heated, and supposedly this keeps the oil from breaking down and sticking to the pan. However, it has nothing to do with food sticking. Also, it depends on the pan and the type of oil. There is no reason to heat a cast iron pan before adding oil (or a nonstick pan), but it might be slightly easier to clean a stainless steel pan later if you heat it before adding oil.

Meat is supposed to stick when you first add it, and then after a few minutes, it will release itself.

What I read in an article was that cooking oils break down and then their smoke point lowers. In other words the higher the heat and the longer you cook the oil the less helpful it is for coating your food.

I was taught to heat the pan then put the oil in and don't wait too long to use it. As soon as the rim of the pan is hot the oil is ready to be used is what I was taught. Don't let the oil cool down by putting wet food in the pan. Don't let the oil get too hot or it loses its properties.

There is a danger of damaging pans (especially if they are non-stick) by overheating them before adding any ingredients. This has happened to me, which is why I do not heat empty pans, except for my cast iron comal, which I use for toasting chilies without oil. I make sure that I do not use high heat to heat the comal.