how to: perfect chicken, every time.

I think I’ve actually spent years trying to perfect baked chicken. It always tastes so good off of the grill, but when winter comes, that’s just not really an option. This chicken is ready in 30 minutes. Every time. Sometimes less if you use smaller chicken breasts, or strips. The best thing you can do for yourself is invest the $10 for a cast iron pan – its well worth it, trust me. Mine is years old, and I use it for more than just this. Cornbread, cookies, entrees, veggies, fish, you name it. Once you’ve got that, you’ve got everything you’ll need.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. While waiting for that, on medium to high heat, lightly coat cast iron pan in olive, avocado or grapeseed oil. Give it a few minutes to get hot. In the mean time, season one side of the chicken with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder to taste. Add any other seasonings you’d like. I’d say I’m probably only doing about ½ teaspoon of each (per side).

When the pan is hot, place the seasoned side of the chicken down into the oil. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes – it’ll brown nicely on one side. Season again on the ‘plain’ side while it cooks. After a few minutes, flip and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes. After, place the whole pan directly in the oven. The sweet spot is somewhere between 20-25 minutes. I’ll check around 20 minutes, and if it looks good, I’ll give it a quick flip (because that bottom is so browned and delicious!) and put it back in the oven for another 3 minutes or so. Without fail, I always have chicken ready in 30 minutes or less.

How to: perfect chicken, every time.Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts

• ½ teaspoon (per side) oregano

• ½ teaspoon (per side) garlic powder

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1-2 tablespoons olive, avocado or grapeseed oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Over medium high heat in a cast iron pan, bring oil to be hot.

3. Season one side of the chicken breasts, and when the pan is hot, place the seasoned side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes and flip. Season remaining side and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

4. Turn off burner, and place whole pan in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. I check around 20 minutes, and flip the chicken and place back in oven for usually another 2-3 minutes.

5. Serve and enjoy!

xx

Rita