Oven Baked Chicken

It is freezing cold outside in Kalamazoo and the ridiculous amounts of snow on the ground prevent us from going out and grilling. Instead we opt for the more sensible, baked versions of our favorite summer meals. Baked chicken doesn’t taste nearly as delicious as grilled, but grilling in -30 below wind chills is simply not an option. If you are experiencing Michigan like weather, I will share my method for preparing chicken, so you can stay indoors.

Your ingredients are:

  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Olive Oil
  • Cake Pan

The very first thing you need to do is turn your oven on to 350 degrees. Good work.

Now, to prepare your pan, I first like to line mine with foil. This step is completely optional. On Sunday I do an enormous amount of cooking so the foil, which I rinse and reuse immediately for the next protein, saves me a little extra time.

Instead of cooking spray or butter I use FODMAP friendly olive oil. I have never measured, but in a large cake pan I probably put a little less than one tablespoon. You do not need very much oil.

If you have a food safe brush, this is the perfect time to use it. Spread the olive oil to every corner of the pan. If you don’t have a brush, you can use your clean fingers or a paper towel.

I had already processed my chicken breasts by trimming the fat and any spots I was not happy with. I am extremely picky. Simply place your chicken in your pans remembering to leave a small amount of room so the chicken can bake properly. Now, go wash your hands.

I was actually doing two full pans of chicken, which were for lunches and dinners.

For some reason I always put the sea salt on first, but it honestly does not matter. I cannot tell you measurements here either. I just sprinkle a little salt on each piece of chicken.

Next I add the pepper. Just sprinkle a little bit over each piece of chicken. Remember, it’s just chicken.

Now, stick all of the chicken in your preheated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.

While we waited we watched the snow pile up.

When the timer beeps the chicken will not be ready, but I like to take my tongs and flip all the chicken over and switch the pans around. This may be my personal preference and possibly may not do anything to enhance the cooking, but it’s the way I do it.

Put your chicken back in the oven for 10 minutes if your breasts are small or 15 minutes if they are large. Don’t forget to wash your tongs when you are finished moving your chicken.

We let Blue outside while we waited the second time and then had to wipe snow off her face.

When the timer beeps the second time the chicken should be ready or close to ready. You can check the chicken by using a meat thermometer and wait for it to read 165 degrees. You can also cut a breast in half and confirm it is cooked all the way through.

Once our chicken is cooked we let it cool and then store it in the refrigerator for up to seven days in large tupperware containers. We use baked chicken for lunches and dinners and having it already cooked makes meal preparation exponentially easier.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *