When you think “Baked Chicken”, do you think dry and overcooked like I do? If you think that way, I guarantee this dish will change your mind. Get ready for an unbelievably moist & delicious meal.
This “recipe” is dedicated to a few friends of mine (ahem, bachelors!) who think they are literally unable to cook.
Whole chickens are substantially cheaper than specific cuts. Yesterday I bought a chicken for about $.75 per pound (only $3.65 for a whole chicken), compared to skinless, boneless chicken breasts that cost about $4.99 per pound. Sure, with a whole chicken you get the bones, fat, and guts, but by using the inedible pieces for chicken stock, you just saved yourself another $5.
Put a chicken in a pot. (Don’t forget to remove the paper bag of guts on the inside)
Massage in your spices.
I used a lot of garlic powder, onion powder, ginger (powder), curry powder, cumin and cayenne pepper (powder).
On top of that I squeezed lemon juice and soy sauce and massaged it all together. I basically just looked in my cabinets and put in what seemed good together. Put your favorite spices if you don’t like mine.
If you’d rather use water, chicken stock, or orange juice in the pot instead of soy sauce and lemon juice, go for it. But I do recommend putting in some kind of liquid.
I find going with a theme is helpful for dishes like this- Chinese, Mexican, general spiciness, lemon & garlic–whatever you want! Use your creativity. Throw in some chopped onions or peppers for all I care.
Put a lid on it (or foil if you don’t have a lid). Stick it in the oven at about 350* for 2-3 hours. Mine cooked for 3. Ya’ know what’s great about cooking stuff for that long? You really don’t have to wonder if it’s done. If it’s been cooking that long, it’s done!
It may not be the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, but you won’t care once you take a bite.
No matter how lousy of a cook you think you are, this dish is seriously easy, seriously tasty, and seriously cheap. I had it with a black bean/tomato/avocado/pepper salad and it was ridiculous.
- 5-5 1/2 portions
- $.75 per portion
The results look amazing. Now I’ve got a hankering for chicken; at least it’s affordable. Just don’t do a recipe for beef tenderloin any time soon!
Ohhhhh tenderloin ::drool::
Neat! I never ever bake chicken. My husband is the budget enforcer. He would totally approve.
Can you post about how to use the leftovers for stock? or have you done that before already?
Grrrrreat idea, I’ll definitely do that one soon!
I KNOW! It's so easy, and you're right, you ever have to worry about whether the chicken will fall off the bone. It just will. And you can use the leftovers for just about anything. Even if you're just cooking for 1, cooking a whole chicken can give you meals for the rest of the week!
I LOVE this chicken!! I'm super paranoid about my chickens – always scared they are undercooked. But with this, I can throw it in and forget about it. I leave it in the 2-3 hours and I know it's DONE. It's very flavorful too. I make quesadillas with leftovers.
I'm going to try this tomorrow! 🙂 Thanks!!
I'm now into checking your blog to see what amazing creation you've concocted for dinner. Can you come cook for me sometime soon 😉 Keep the ideas coming, one day I'll cook again!