Baked Chicken Recipes

photo credit: Meg Zimbeck

Being part Italian, when I am looking for a good baked chicken recipe, I always steer towards those from Italy.  This recipe originated in Mary Ann Esposito’s book, “Ciao Italia, Slow and Easy”.  I have tweaked it to suit our preferences, but her recipe gave me the basics.  The thing I love best about this recipe is that it uses grated Asiago cheese over the top!  Asiago cheese changes considerably in taste and texture as it ages.  Young Asiagos are soft and mild.  The well-aged Asiagos are called Piccante and are similar to aged Parmesan in that they have a nice sharp bite and are hard in texture – perfect for grating.

photo credit: roadman22

Don’t you just love oven chicken recipes?  Did you know that the chicken we use today descended from the Red Junglefowl?  That’s him in the picture.  The domesticated chickens were first raised somewhere in the northern parts of India.  In the United States, chicken consumption increased dramatically during the second world war because beef and pork were in short supply.

There must be a million oven chicken recipes, but for taste and simplicity, you just cannot beat this Pollo arrosto – Pan Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Rosemary and White Wine.  Don’t think because this is so simple and has such few ingredients that it won’t be an impressive dish.  It will delight your guests!

This slow cooker chicken recipe is just perfect for this time of year.  I love the wild rice in this dish.  Did you know that wild rice is mostly found northwest of the Great Lakes?  Did you know that it can grow to be nine feet tall and that it is not really in the rice family?  When the Indians harvested wild rice in Minnesota, they would bend these long stems down into their canoes and beat the heads of the plant with a sort of paddle to release the seeds into the canoe.  Today, seeds are even sown using airplanes over flooded fields.  When the grain is harvested, it is indeed a delicacy.

You can try many baked chicken recipes, but I wager you will never find one that will produce a more moist, golden chicken dinner than the age old Tuscan dish called Chicken Mattone – or Chicken Under a Brick.

What is with the brick?  How could that help to cook a chicken?  The secret of cooking with a brick is that the bricks will keep the bird pressed down in the hot pan.  This way, the chicken is cooking in the fat that is rendered while cooking – instead of cooking in just the hot air of the oven.The result will be a gorgeous, golden, crispy-skinned chicken with wonderful flavors of herbs and garlic.

photo credit: Edgar Zuniga Jr.

If you are looking for a very easy chicken recipe, Oregano Greek Chicken will fill the bill!  Although many people consider oregano to be the “pizza spice“, it is widely used in many other dishes.  The Greeks were the first to use oregano and they believe it was invented by Aphrodite to bring the joy in their lives.  In fact, “joy of the mountains” is what oregano actually means.  The Greeks thought so highly of this spice, that they would place oregano wreaths on the heads of newlyweds to bring them lifelong happiness.  They would place oregano on the resting places of their departed loved ones so that they would have eternal peace.

photo credit: ukespresso

I’m always keeping an eye out for baked chicken recipes.  I don’t remember exactly where I found this one, but I just called it Fruity Licorice Chicken.  I know this dish had its roots in Israel or Lebanon and don’t worry – it doesn’t really have licorice in it.  Did you ever hear of the liqueur called Arak?  It is made in special copper stills in Lebanon.  If you can’t find it, you can substitute Ouzo – which is much more readily available.

photo credit: magnusfranklin

The Mediterranean cuisine has received much attention in recent years because of the healthy ingredients that are used, without sacrificing full flavors.  Portugal is not literally a Mediterranean country, but it is close enough to often have some of its dishes included with Mediterranean-style cooking.

One simple, delicious healthy chicken recipe that is so easy to make is Rustic Portuguese Garlic Chicken and Potatoes.  Back in the middle ages, only people of noble status could afford to eat chicken or meat every day.  This was considered a status symbol.  If a poor family could afford it, they would obtain chicken only if a family member was ill to help him or her get well.

photo credit: joerandazzo.com

If you are looking for a different whole chicken recipe, you might really enjoy Greek Roast Chicken with Pistachios.  Did you know that the pistachio is actually a cousin of the cashew?  The pistachio is really a miraculous little thing.  It originated in some of the worst conditions on the planet.  It is believed that they first came from Persia where they grew in awful soil and terrible high temperatures, primarily without any benefit of rain!  The story goes that the Queen of Sheba held pistachios as one of her favorite foods and she ordered all pistachios in the region be delivered to her.  I have included this dish in her honor.

photo credit: ionntag

When I want to make a nice comforting Italian dinner, I often think of one of my favorite baked chicken recipes – Chicken Cacciatore or “hunter’s style” chicken. Created originally in central Italy during the Renaissance (the 1500’s) – this dish was originally enjoyed only by the people who were well to do enough to enjoying hunting and who had chicken readily available.