Some dishes are so simple that a recipe seems like overkill. Baked chicken is a case in point: Isn’t it just chicken pieces seasoned with salt and pepper and baked? But to us, baked chicken begs a number of questions: What cut of chicken should you use? How long should it bake? What temperature should the oven be? We wanted to make perfect baked chicken--here’s what we discovered:
Stick with one particular cut of chicken for even cooking. And make sure the sizes are similar--packaged pieces of chicken can yield a variety of sizes.
Bake the chicken in a very hot oven (450 degrees) on the upper-middle rack. The high rack placement concentrates the heat and intensifies the browning.
Bake the chicken on the top of a broiler tray so that the rendering fat drips beneath, away from the meat.
Brush the chicken pieces with melted butter to enhance browning. And season them liberally with salt and ground black pepper to maximize flavor.
Gauge doneness with an instant-read thermometer to ensure that the meat is properly cooked. Remember, the chicken will continue to cook from residual heat once removed from the oven.
Glaze the chicken with a Dijon mustard, honey, and brown sugar glaze during the last few minutes the chicken bakes. Brush the chicken with the mixture several times to ensure a thick, flavorful glaze.
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