Easy Bake Chicken

Today I’m in a cooking frenzy. Well, what passes for cooking frenzy in my kitchen.  I have a pile of chicken breasts – skinless, boneless, thawed.  I must cook them today – or throw them out.  So I’m cooking – then I’ll freeze the chicken and have it throughout the week.  When I was a kid – my dad dictated what we ate in the household – and he was a red meat kind of guy.  Poultry – chicken – was what we had on special occasions (birthdays, holidays)…So when I first moved out on my own, chicken was the first thing I wanted to cook.  Now I want a simple – mistake proof sort of recipe….and one that doesn’t require me to spend my week planning the meal. 

The basic recipe is very simple. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Get a pan ready.  I use a cookie sheet with a layer of foil on the bottom (shiny side down) – to minimize cleanup later. 

Now I coat each chicken breast with the seasonings of my choosing – then put them on the foil.
Bake at 375 for about 40-50 minutes on the middle rack.  ( You may need to adjust the time based on your oven’s actual temp, and how thick the chicken breasts are.)

The next question is – what do you season with?  Oh – the possibilities.  Here is what I’m using today:

I bought this bottle of Sun-dried Tomato Marinade from a weekend vacation in the fall.  I just pour that over the chicken – and coat both sides.  I could have let it soak in the fridge – but I didn’t plan in advance (and it will still taste yummy!)

I also pour bread crumbs into a bowl – enough to cover the chicken (both sides) – I mix in All Purpose Seasoning (yes, that is what its called) – maybe a tablespoon or so per half cup of bread crumbs. I don’t add salt because the bread crumbs are already salted.   Mix that up – then just coat the chicken on both sides. OH YUM!

For my third seasonings – I drizzled olive oil over the chicken, then followed with balsamic vinegar.  I added a touch of salt and pepper. 

Play with seasonings.  Sometimes I add paprika to the bread crumbs.  You could use lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar.  I also have this grill seasoning that is fun to use.

And I cook it all in the same pan.  (Just don’t have the chicken touching.)

Now I’ve got chicken all cooked, and I freeze them after they cool by putting wrapping each breast individually, then put them all in freezer bags and label each type.  I just defrost and warm them up in the microwave throughout the week!  I might also keep some in the fridge to slice for chicken sandwiches…

Now I am once again enjoying my favorite foods from childhood…