Hi all,
Happy Sunday. Today I want to share two super easy chicken recipes. I love these recipes because you can use any cut of chicken that you want (although I do give my personal preference and suggestion), and they use minimal ingredients. Using the spices listed is the key to a tasty outcome. Best of all? You can make a big batch to eat throughout the week with your favorite veggies. Sunday is a great day for food shopping and cooking.
Remember: meal prep does not need to be a daunting all day event. It can be as simple as cooking a big batch of food (like these recipes call for) and using the leftovers to pack up easy lunches or pull together a quick dinner.
Dad's Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 lb chicken, bone in or out (I suggest buying a WHOLE chicken and cutting it up yourself; chicken quarters or chicken breast work too)
- 1/4 c Valentino Hot Sauce (carried at your local supermarket)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (regular paprika works, but smoked gives a unique flavor)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut up your chicken into all of its parts (check how this video for a how-to). Trim excess fat off of the chicken and place chicken in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add Valentino hot sauce, smoked paprika, and oregano to the bowl. Mix together using your hands to completely coat the chicken.
4. Put chicken into a roasting/baking dish. A 9x13 glass pan works well. If there is skin on the chicken, place skin side up.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Cut a slit into the thickest piece of chicken to check that it has cooked (Note: if you are using boneless chicken you can decrease the first bake time to 30 minutes).
I love this chicken with cauliflower rice and spinach! It is also great cold in a salad. The possibilities are endless! The final outcome is not spicy. It is flavorful but also subtle enough that you can make it work with whatever you want.
Secret Ingredient Buffalo Chicken
One Saturday the siblings and I were craving wings and we stumbled upon this awesome buffalo wing recipe via Pinterest. We added spices and it was just magical. I use this recipe when I am craving wings on the weekend. It's bar food without the damaging oils from the fryer. But, it's not just a wing recipe! I use boneless chicken thighs when I need a quick and easy protein option to pack in my lunches. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb fresh chicken wings (I have also made this recipe with chicken thighs)
- 12 oz bottle Frank's Red Hot Sauce (you won't use the whole thing)
- 6 tbs butter (salted or unsalted)
- garlic powder
- chili powder
- salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Put chicken into a large bowl. Season with pepper and salt (only if you are using unsalted butter). Season generously with garlic powder and chili powder. No need to measure these spices, just give the chicken a nice coating.
3. Spread the chicken on the baking sheet lined with foil. DO NOT grease the sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
4. While the chicken cooks melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Then pour in about 3/4s of the bottle of Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Stir until they combine and then let the sauce simmer on low heat.
5. When your timer finishes carefully take the chicken off the baking sheet and put it into a large bowl. Take the hot sauce mixture off of the heat and pour it over the chicken. Toss the chicken until it's coated, then place the chicken back onto the pan and bake for another 25 minutes (don't toss the sauce!).
6. When the chicken is done add it back to the bowl with the sauce and toss again. That's it! Enjoy with whatever you want! Blue cheese is great for a weekend dinner. This combo is also perfect with broccoli or cauliflower rice because it absorbs the sauce.
(Hint: Try this recipe with your favorite hot sauce. Cholula would be tasty too)
Let me know if you try one of these out! They're easy peasy and so flavorful.
Expect lots more posts now that I have more time on my hands ;)
Until next time...
