Always tasty, no thought involved. Here's how:
Take a whole chicken and whack it in half vertically. (Umm, that doesn't sound right. How about cut in half along the backbone?) Rinse it & pat dry. Rub with olive oil. Sprinkle on lemon juice. Season liberally (I'm talking Obama-liberally) with Lawry's, paprika, garlic powder, dried basil and oregano.
Set on a rack in a roasting pan, skin side up. Add some water to the bottom of the pan so the drippings don't burn. Bake til done, the first 2/3 covered, the last 1/3 uncovered to crisp up the skin.
[begin food safety announcement] How long is "til done"? Depends on the size of your bird. Go with 20 minutes per pound, for a final internal temperature of 185-190 degrees F. [end of food safety announcement]
Make a gravy if you'd like out of the drippings. I usually just skim the fat and strain into a gravy-boat-ish dish ('cause I'm lazy). Pour some of it on your breast meat to moisten, pour some on your rice, etc.
Sides are always white rice, and either cucumber-lemon-chile powder salad, or iceburg lettuce-lemon-oil-black pepper salad.
Easy peasy.
The best part? (Besides the crispy highly seasoned skin, I mean.) MIL makes chicken salad the next day with the leftovers.
7 comments:
Something tells me you've been watching "Dancing with Stars."
We're big fans of cutting the chicken in half before roasting, it really makes a big difference in how it cooks
Hi Betts - Actually, no. I've been TV-less since my stupid Sony died in January.
Hi Kat - Sometime soon I want to try the smoosh-it-with-a-brick technique.
Mmmm, butterflied chicken rules. I've been wanting to try the brick technique too. If you do it, post it, so I, er, we can see how it turns out. :)
Hi Bob - I've only ever seen recipes for brick chicken on a grill, but I don't see why it wouldn't work in the oven too. Also, I once had a chicken that was completely boned and then bricked - best chicken ever. Need to try to replicate that.
I love chicken salad with a vengeance, A vengeance! I'd love to borrow your MIL for a spell.
Hi Heather - I'd love to send her to you for a while ;-)
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