10, er, 7 ways to oven roast a chicken

Ever hear the phrase "tastes just like chicken" and shudder as you recall the bland white meat you recently made for dinner? No? Well I have. And to be honest, chicken is both my signature (Mr. Improv's favs almost all include chicken) and the bane of my existence. Depends on the day.

So after making some pretty impressive oven-roasted chicken one night, I challenged myself to find ten ways to roast the cheap, accessible, sometimes flavorless bird. So far, I've found seven. And here are the results:



For the flavor & spice combinations, scroll down.
To bake a whole chicken:
Rinse chicken inside and out, removing any innards that were stuffed inside, and pat dry.
Place breast side down in a casserole dish just big enough to fit the whole chicken and deep enough to cover while baking
Set aside 1/3 of the spice mixture, and rub the entire outside of the chicken with the remaining 2/3
Pour the 1/3 of the spice mixture inside the neck cavity of the chicken.
Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Carefully remove baking dish, turn chicken breast side up, and continue baking for 30 minutes more or until all juices run clear (wiggle the leg/thigh to check).

To bake pieces (thighs, legs, or "best of fryer" work better than breasts, but if you use breasts for this, use bone-in, skin-on breasts):
Rinse pieces and pat dry
Place in a casserole dish just big enough to fit all the pieces without any layering, and deep enough to cover while baking
Rub spice mixture over all pieces
Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until all juices run clear

Flavor combinations (I mix these in a small bowl first, then rub on chicken):

1. Rustic:
2 T dried rosemary, somewhat crushed
2 T dried oregano
1 T sea salt
1 T ground pepper
1 t dried sage
1/2 t ground cloves
8-10 dried bay leaves
10-12 baby carrots, placed among chicken pieces before baking

2. Thanksgiving
1 T sea or kosher salt
1 T ground pepper
2 T ground sage
10-12 dried bay leaves
*leftovers of this work perfectly for chicken salad

3. Sweet, for pasta salad
1 T sugar
1 T sea salt
2 t white ground pepper
2-4 fresh mint leaves, chopped (depending on taste - I like 2, but I'm not brave w/ mint)
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

4. Summer Picnic
1/2 cup flour
2 T sea salt
2 T ground black pepper
1 T paprika
1 t cayenne pepper or chili powder
1 t sage

5. Italian, to go with pasta & light tomato sauce
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 t chicken bouillon
2 T dried basil, or several leaves of fresh basil
1 t dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 onion, minced
Mix all seasonings together with tomatoes & pour over chicken before baking.

6. de Provence
2 T sea salt
3 T herbs de provence (or your own combo of rosemary, thyme, and savory)
3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs, whole, placed on top

7. Fried First
1 cup flour
3 T sea salt
2 T ground black pepper
1 T paprika
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
Heat enough oil in an iron skillet over medium-high heat to generously cover the bottom of the skillet. Mix seasonings. Mix together egg & milk in a shallow, wide bowl. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, then dredge in flour. Place in hot oil for 2 minutes on each side, until just barely golden. Remove chicken to 13x9 or other baking dish & bake as directed above.