I’m always on the lookout for different ways to cook chicken. Like it or not, chicken is better for you that steak or lasagna or pizza or any number of other yummy dishes. The trick is it to have chicken taste (almost) as good as the yummy things.
I saw a recipe for Southern Baked Chicken and the “southern” part got my attention. With the exception of chitlin’s, most anything “southern” is good eating. So, I tried it, and it was i good eating.
The secret, I believe, is to use split chicken breasts – bone-in, skin-on. Anything cooked with skin-on and bone-in is going to be better tasting than boneless and skinless. Bone and skin add flavor and prevents the dried out “blahs”. In addition, because whole, split chicken breasts are not in high demand, they are always a better value. Use other chicken parts if you must, but this dish sparkles with split chicken breasts.
Figure one breast per person and no one will go hungry. Since it was just Nancy and me, I bought 2 large breasts for about six bucks.
Put the breasts in a baking dish and season both sides with salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Next, pour 3 T melted butter over the breasts (the southern part). Chop up a large celery rib into 2-inch sections and place those and the slices of one medioum onion over the breasts. The juices of the vegetables will seep in and add greatly to the flavor. Cover the dish with foil and cook in a 350 oven for an hour and a half. Remove the foil and cook an extra 25 minutes. Pour the juices over the breast and serve with rice or masked potatoes. Good eating for sure.
Southern Baked Chicken
2 split chicken breasts (serves 2)
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 celery rib, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, sliced
