Best 4 Erics Baked Chicken Recipes

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED CABBAGE

Steps:

• In a small dish, stir together 1 1/2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 tablespoon Morton's coarse kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and the brown sugar.
• Place the chicken on a large plate or sheet pan and, with a paper towel, pat the surface of the chicken as dry as you can. Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve for another time. Sprinkle a third of the spice mixture into the cavity of the chicken, focusing especially on the underside of the breasts. Use your hands to really rub the spices into the cavity. Now, sprinkle the rest of the spice mixture all over the surface of the chicken, including the bottom but especially the top, where the breasts are, and again, really rub it into the skin. If roasting right away, let the chicken sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Alternatively, you can place the chicken, uncovered, in the refrigerator to dry-brine for up to 24 hours; just be sure to let it sit out at room temperature for at least 1 hour before roasting.
• While the chicken is coming to room temperature, position a rack on the bottom third of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a large sheet pan, add the cabbage, onion, 4 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. Season generously with salt and pepper, and toss until evenly combined. Push the cabbage and onions to the edges of the pan to make room for the chicken, and place the chicken in the center of the pan, breast side up; the chicken should have direct contact with the pan and not be sitting over any of the vegetables. Massage the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil onto the chicken and give it a final generous sprinkling of salt and pepper (going lighter on the seasoning the longer the chicken has been dry-brined).
• Roast the chicken, rotating the pan halfway through, until the skin is golden brown and crispy, and the thigh meat reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (it will continue to cook as it rests), 40 to 55 minutes or 13 minutes per pound. Do not cut into it to check that the juices run clear. The cabbage and onions should be soft and slightly charred in spots.
• Let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes on the pan before transferring to a cutting board and carving into portions. Don't forget to turn the carcass over and eat the two "oysters" on the bottom of the chicken where the back of the thighs meet the spine. It's arguably the best part of the roast chicken experience, and the chef's treat.
• Add the vinegar to the cabbage and onions, toss until evenly distributed and taste for seasoning, adjusting with salt and pepper. Serve alongside the chicken.

SIMPLE BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat convection oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and Creole seasoning. Place chicken in a broiler pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Remove chicken from pan. Pour water into the pan, while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add more water if needed to dislodge the browned bits; serve alongside chicken.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH FISH-SAUCE BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper. (The fish-sauce butter is plenty salty, so don't overdo the salt here.) Arrange the chicken skin-side up on a sheet pan and drizzle the oil over the chicken skin, coating it evenly. Roast until the chicken is light gold and the sheet pan is pooling with hot, rendered chicken fat, about 25 minutes.
• Take the sheet pan out of the oven, scatter the bread around the chicken and toss gently to coat in the chicken fat. Place the pan back in the oven and roast until the chicken is golden, crispy and sizzling (you'll hear it), about 15 minutes.
• While the chicken roasts, combine the brown sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, occasionally swirling the pan or stirring the sauce with a wooden spoon, until bubbling vigorously and the mixture has reduced by about half, 2 to 3 minutes. This part is fun: Turn off the heat and add the butter, constantly swirling the pan or stirring with a wooden spoon, until all of the butter has melted and incorporated into the fish sauce mixture.
• To serve, scatter the cilantro all over the chicken and bread and spoon some of the fish-sauce butter over each chicken thigh, reserving some to add to each plate for dipping the chicken and croutons while eating (which is divine).

PINEAPPLE-MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, garlic powder, ground cayenne and black pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of this marinade mixture to a separate medium bowl and add the diced pineapple, red onion and cilantro. This is your salsa; toss until well mixed and set aside.
• Add the grated pineapple and its juices to the marinade mixture in the large bowl, then add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes (and no longer).
• Once the chicken is done marinating, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken pieces, leaving any marinade behind, in a single layer so that they don't touch and let cook until the bottoms are browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides and no longer pink on the inside, 4 to 5 minutes more.
• Serve the chicken over rice and top with the reserved pineapple salsa.