Poultry Essentials Easy Peasy Baked Chicken Recipes

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: OVEN BAKED SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 3. Mix all the rub ingredients together in a bowl, and reserve.
• 4. Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 425f (220c).
• 5. Chef's Note: If you have the time, brine the chicken in a salt solution, for about 2 hours.
• 6. Spatchcock the chicken by first using some kitchen shears, or a sharp knife, and cut out the backbone.
• 7. Freeze the backbone for making a good stock.
• 8. Turn the chicken over, spread open, and push down until you hear a snap.
• 9. Chef's Note: Both sides of the chicken should be lying nice and flat.
• 10. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and coat with grapeseed oil.
• 11. Cut the potatoes and carrots into 1/2-inch (1.3cm) slices. Lay the veggies in the rimmed baking sheet.
• 12. Chef's Note: I am using some carrots from my Winter greenhouse, but if you are using regular carrots, cut them to the same thickness as the potatoes.
• 13. Lay the chicken, skin side up onto the veggies, and press down. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and evenly sprinkle the rub on the chicken.
• 14. Place in the preheated oven, and allow to bake until the breast reads 150f (65c) on an instant-read thermometer, about 35 to 45 minutes.
• 15. PLATE/PRESENT
• 16. Serve with the veggies, and maybe some nice crusty bread. Enjoy.
• 17. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: OVEN-BAKED BONE-IN BREASTS

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• Place a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 425f (220c).
• Brush the chicken breast with the oil.
• Sprinkle on the spices.
• Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and add any veggies, if using.
• Brush the veggies, if using, with a bit of olive oil, and place into the preheated oven.
• Bake until the skin is golden brown, and the internal temperature of the breast reaches 165, about 40 - 45 minutes.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Serve while nice and warm with your chosen sides. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: CHEESY TOMATO & CHICKEN BAKE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Two of my favorite brands of tomatoes are Meir Glen, or Cento; however, another great (more common) brand is Hunts. My favorite brand of marinated artichoke hearts is Mezzetta, and they come packed in oil. Drain the oil before chopping. My favorite brand of diced green chilies, are Hatch. They come in small cans of 5 ounces (142g).
• 3. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 4. Chef's Tip: I recommend brining the chicken breasts for an hour or two, but that is totally up to you.
• 5. Chef's Note: You will notice that in the photos, I am placing the chicken breasts into individual serving dishes. If you wish, you can place both breasts into a single baking dish, or you could cook the whole thing in an ovenproof skillet. Now that is what I call easy/peasy.
• 6. Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 400f (205c).
• 7. Add the butter and oil to a skillet over medium heat.
• 8. When the foaming subsides, add the onions.
• 9. Cook until the onions soften, and turn translucent, about 4 - 5 minutes.
• 10. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
• 11. Reduce the heat to medium low, then add the tomatoes, artichokes, chilies, oregano, basil, parsley, and cumin, and stir to combine with the onions and garlic.
• 12. Allow to simmer until it reduces a bit, and beings to thicken, about 8 - 10 minutes.
• 13. Chef's Note: Add a bit of salt and pepper, to taste.
• 14. Place the tomato sauce into individual, oven-proof baking dishes, or a single dish. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and push them into the tomato sauce.
• 15. Place into the preheated oven, and bake until the internal temperature of the chicken breasts reaches 165f (75c), about 30 - 35 minutes
• 16. Add the Dubliner cheese to the top, and pop under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly, and beginning to brown in spots, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• 17. PLATE/PRESENT
• 18. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and serve while nice and warm. With maybe a small side salad, and some crusty bread. Enjoy.
• 19. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: THE BEST LEMON/LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• For this recipe you will want a rimmed baking sheet, and (if you have one) a wire rack that fits the baking sheet.
• Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• In a small bowl, mix together the salt, lemon-pepper, and black pepper.
• Carefully pull the skin away from the breast, and legs, and use your hands to push half the spice mix under the skin, and the other half, rub into the bird's cavity.
• Cut one of the lemons in half, place into the cavity, and truss the bird up.
• Place, on a plate, or baking sheet, and put into the refrigerator, uncovered, for 24 hours.
• Chef's Note: Some dry-brine recipes say you can leave it in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, in my tests, I did not notice any significant difference in flavor between 24 hours, and 72 hours. As a matter of fact, I found that after three days, the breast meat was a bit mushy...
• Place a rack in the bottom position, and preheat the oven to 375f (190c).
• Place the chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet, rub with the olive oil, and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
• Cut the other lemon in half, and place on the rack with the chicken.
• Chef's Note: You will notice in the photo, that I also added a few carrots, and potatoes.
• Place in the preheated oven, and bake for 1 hour.
• Turn the heat up to 425f (220c).
• Bake until the chicken is cooked through, and looks nice and brown, about 20 - 25 additional minutes.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Cover and let rest for about 20 minutes, then squeeze the baked lemons over the chicken, and carve. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.