You can have this recipe in the oven in five minutes!
Although it takes an hour to bake, you can come home from work, compile the dish, put it in oven, change clothes, check e-mail, take a walk, and put in a load of laundry. And the next thing you know, dinner’s done. Happy day!
Here’s the recipe:
Start with a pan and some Pam. (I used a 9×13 pan but realized later it was too big. Next time, I’ll use a smaller size.)
Put 4-6 chicken breasts in pan; I’ve always used boneless, but I’m assuming bone-in works, too.
Gather your cast of characters.
Melt a stick of butter and pour over chicken. (It seems like a lot of butter but when most of it goes into the pan and the rest is divided between 6 breasts, it doesn’t add up to as much per serving.)
Sprinkle chicken with pepper, parsley, paprika, and Lawrys seasoned salt. And anything else that strikes your fancy. (Except probably not powdered sugar.)
Pop into an oven preheated to 350 and bake (uncovered) for an hour.
That’s it!
Now. Remember what I said about the 9×13 pan being too big?
Here’s proof. This is a pretty unsightly looking messy morass of splattered butter and too much space between the pieces of chicken. If I had used a smaller pan, the juices from the chicken and butter would have pooled and melded a little bit better and would have been great for spooning over some rice. (There are few things better than pooled and melded buttery juices.)
So what does one do when the end result of one’s cooking outing is blatantly unattractive?
One crops it and blurs it before posting it to one’s blog, that’s what.
And if you have leftover pieces? Slice them and put them on salads the next night. Or flash freeze them (sliced or unsliced) and freeze them in preparation for a frantic night when you don’t have time to cook. You could also dice the leftovers and freeze for a casserole.
If fact, if you doubled this recipe and cooked 10-12 pieces instead (you would, of course, want to use the larger pan for doubling) you would have several meals pretty much taken care of in less than hour. Sounds like a plan!
Do you have an easy,delicious recipe for a side dish you could share with us? No sense in taking 5 minutes to get chicken in the oven if the side dish takes 45 minutes so we’re all ears if you have an easy side dish to share.
We had this for dinner last night. I didn’t print it off and just realized I forgot the parsley. Oh well, it was still yummy and so easy. We will definitely have it again. Oh, and weight-watcher friendly, love that too! Only 6 points.
Heidi, so glad you loved it! The parsley is just for color and not so much for flavor so at least you didn’t leave out anything too important! 🙂
Made your easy chicken to use in a Cordon Bleu mac and cheese receipe – some of it didn’t make it into the casserole because it was so good – I will definitely use this again – I have been searching for a good baked/roasted chicken recipe for a long time. I used the spices I wanted to, along with Lowry’s season salt (a must on many things). I will cut down on the butter next time but the chicken was just yummy! Thank you, Becky.
Mary, I’d love to hear what other spices you added. I’m always interested in experimenting. So glad you enjoyed it; it’s so very, very easy to put together, which I love!
Have we talked about Beer Can Chicken? it is our favorite Chicken! You use a whole fryer chicken. Season the Chicken with your favorite Rub or seasonings, we like a Memphis Rub. After seasoning you open a can of beer, spill out or drink a few sips, your preference! (Soda can be used also) I throw some additional seasonings into the beer, put the can into the chicken cavity and use the legs to make a tri pod so the chicken is standing! (basically you stick a can in the chickens behind!) It looks pretty silly but the results are magnificent! Cook in a 375 degree oven for about 45 min! The chicken is crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside! The liquid helps to keep the chicken moist! Plus it does not cook in its own fat so the calorie count is lower!
Here is the recipe for the memphis rub, save what you do not use in an airtight container for the next time!!
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Shari, wow! Sounds fascinating to cook with a can of beer/soda. Does it matter what sort of soda I use? What other seasonings do you put into the beer/soda? And the Memphis Rub sounds fabulous. I have never before cooked a whole chicken so this will be an adventure. Thanks for taking the time to share the recipe!
Becky,
I do not think it matters what kind of soda you use, I think its about the moisture you get from the liquid, Although I would probably due ginger ale or Sprite. I just put a little of the memphis rub into the can about a teaspoon! BTW the Memphis rub is good on any type of chicken or pork! I have used it on Chops, pork roast, wings and skinless breast and thighs!, I keep mine in a big cheese shaker that we got from the restaurant depot! Be sure to let me know how it goes when you try it!
Oh yum! I will have to try this one soon.
Jessica, it’s a good one and ever so simple. Enjoy!
I do! 🙂 My EZ Cheezee Hashbrowns are always a crowd pleaser, and you can make it in a reduced-fat version without compromising flavor, if you want. Takes about 5 minutes to assemble, an hour to bake … and would be a perfect compliment to your yummy chicken! 🙂
EZ Cheezee Hashbrowns
32 oz frozen (shredded) potatoes
2 cans cream of potato soup
16 oz sour cream
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
* Preheat oven 375 degrees and grease the 9x 13 pan you won’t be using for your chicken. 😉
* Mix potatoes, soup, sour cream, and cheddar in a large bowl, then spread into pan.
* Sprinkle with parmesan.
* Bake 1 hour
Enjoy! 🙂
~Michelle
Michelle, it sounds wonderful and I’m glad there is a lower fat version of it. (Also glad that my chicken-less,
9 x 13 pan will be put to good use!) You’re right; it would be the perfect dish for the chicken since they would bake at the same time. And the next night, you could even mix some leftover cut up chicken in with some leftover potatoes and make another (yummy) dish. Thanks so much for sharing; I”ll print off your recipe right now!