It’s time to create a meal your family will thoroughly enjoy over and over.  I can’t explain it – you’d think people would get tired of eating chicken but it’s not so with the recipe you’re about to learn. 

Using a “fryer” or “broiler” chicken, after you’ve cleaned the chicken and taken out the fillings, it’s time to start seasoning it.  First, we’ll season the chicken with salt and other spices. It’s a good idea to season the chicken the night before but it’s not necessary; that’s part of what makes this recipe such a winner.  You can literally come home, prepare it in 15 minutes while you preheat the oven and cook it in two hours! 

Here’s how to prepare it:

1. Place it in the roaster or pan, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mince 1 head of garlic or use a garlic press, and coat the whole chicken with it.
3. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and “Badia” Sazon Completa (Complete Seasoning) fairly liberally on all 4 sides of the chicken. 
4. Sprinkle dashes of cumin and oregano on all sides of chicken.
5. With the chicken’s breast facing up, take a lime and squeeze the juices all over it.
6. Cut 1 large onion into thin slices and spread evenly over the chicken.
7. Place the chicken (covered tightly) in the lower-center rack of the pre-heated oven and set your timer for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
8. After 1 hour and 45 min., uncover the chicken and let it bake for another 15 minutes for that golden brown finish. It’s done!

Now, while you’re baking the chicken,  it’s time to prepare the rice.

You’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups of rice
• 2-3 fresh garlic bulbs
• olive oil
• 3 cups of tap water or bottled water

1. In a non-stick saucepan or pot, place one tablespoon of olive oil and turn the heat source on to ”medium.”
2. Mince two to three fresh garlic bulbs (or use a garlic press) and place the minced garlic on top of the heated olive oil.
3. Get 1 cup of water ready, and when the garlic turns light brown, place the cup of water in the pan.
4. Place the remaining 2 cups of water in the pan and turn the heat on to “high.”
5. Place the 1 1/2 cups of rice in a bowl and rinse it with water three times or until the water is slightly white from the coating of the rice as you empty the water.
6. When the water, olive oil, and garlic start to boil, place the rinsed rice into the pan, turn it back to medium, COVER it, and let it cook for approximately 15 minutes or until it is cooked soft enough.
7. Once the water has evaporated after 15 minutes or so, stir it a little bit, then turn the heat on to simmer for about 10 minutes.  Voila!  Delicious rice.  

Serve it with corn, green beans, or any other favorite vegetable and you’re good to go!

Of course this is a trick question, and a better question would be along the lines of,  “What are some good recipes for baked chicken?

If you scour the internet you’ll find a gazillion recipes for everything from wings to thighs to breasts, and you’ll also come across so many roast whole chicken recipes your head will be spinning.

But you’re in luck, because I’m giving away the gift of a tried and true baked chicken recipe you simply can’t fail with.  You’ll know exactly how long to bake chicken for virtually any recipe, and I’ll also give you the white or brown rice recipe to compliment it perfectly (this rice recipe is not your average everyday recipe).

Here’s what you do in preparation:

Buy a whole fryer chicken and make sure you have white or brown rice.  While you’re at it, get either corn or green beans to compliment the meal.  To bake the chicken, you’ll need a roasting pan with a cover or a metal tray and aluminum foil to do the covering.

For the seasoning we’ll need:

1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Oregano
1 Head of Fresh Garlic
1 Lime
1 Large Onion
And the magic ingredient: Badia Sazon Completa (Complete Seasoning)

Once you have all of these everyday items and seasonings you can repeat the process of cooking the most unbelievably delicious everyday chicken recipe you’ll ever taste!

In the next post, TA-DA – The Actual Dinner Recipe that’ll have you saying, “I don’t want to hear about any other ways to bake a chicken.”

I know this sounds basic, but here are a few pointers we must first go over before we can attempt to effectively learn how to cook chicken in the oven.

There are countless ways to bake chicken.  Chicken baking times obviously depend on how you’re preparing it, what part of the chicken, and the size you’re cooking.  When we refer to whole chickens, they are labeled as fryers, broilers, and roasters.  If you are baking a whole chicken, any of these three will do. 

Fryers are typically smaller chickens and broilers are the next larger size.  Either of these two will yield delicious baked meals for normal everyday cooking.  If you’re thinking special occasion, go with the broiler chicken; it’s large, plump, and juicier!

Because chicken is generally priced reasonably, I tend to bake either a fryer or broiler chicken two times a week for my family, and I watch in delight as they lick their fingers when they’re done; it’s that delicious!  I know, I know, I need to teach them good manners like – only licking their fingers when no one’s looking!

There are weeks when I change it up a bit and I bake leg quarters, thighs, and drumsticks, and there are weeks where I’ll mix it up even further by barbecuing chicken drumsticks using the most delicious, simple marinade many people don’t know about!

In the next few posts, I’ll give you a guide on how long to bake chicken so you can cook it safely and eliminate any worries about food poisoning, and so you can present your family with the most delicious, moist chicken possible.