Saturday, August 01, 2009

Quick & easy recipe...

Now, I've posted recipes before. I hunt down recipes that are quick, easy, cheap and taste good...

I've found this is the best way to do it...

Place a cast iron skillet in a cold oven then turn it to 450 degrees... (cooking in a preheated cast-iron skillet cuts down cooking time and energy use. Not much energy, but every little bit helps...)

while everything is heating up, take some chicken pieces... any pieces you like will work... This would be great for wings, but thighs, legs, or boneless skinless breasts will work. (the umbiquitous boneless skinless chicken breast is the most expensive piece you can find. It's also the most flavorless, and I would rarely use it myself, but some people like them...)

rub the chicken with equal parts of salt, pepper and cinnamon... (That's right, cinnamon. Sounds so strange, but there you are... you can cut the salt in half at least if you're going low sodium for health concerns...)

When the pan and oven are preheated, put the pieces in the hot pan and cook them for 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces. Serve with rice and whatever veggies you want.

Actually, tastes really really good...

If you don't want to do the cast iron skillet thing, you can still do this in the oven, but it will take longer. Or you could possibly grill them, but I haven't ever tried it... if anybody out there does, make sure you tell me how it works out...

8 comments:

  1. This sounds great! Here is my vision for it...(you knew I would have to have one, right???) LOL!
    I would use boneless, skinless chicken THIGHS (my favorite for sure) and when you open them up, you can cut them in about 3 equal peices and they are about the size and look of chicken wings (but no skin or bones...just succulent meat)...put on your seasonings (the salt, pepper and cinnamon) and bake...or grill in my grill pan on top of grill....any way you want to do it sounds good. Try the thighs...you will love them!!!

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  2. I will have to try this- it sounds interesting!
    My favorite easy chicken recipe these days?
    cover chicken pieces in a pan with bbq sauce
    bake 30 min or so at 350
    top with grated cheese, bacon crumbles, tomato and green onion and yum!

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  3. Anonymous12:28 PM

    I must admit the cinnamon sounds a little different. It seems better to taste on a sugar bun. I wonder what the taste is like on your chicken. I will have to tell Patty to look at this recipe.

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  4. This does sound different. I can't imagine the cinnamon working with chicken. I always choose skinless, boneless breasts because I basically can't stand to look at raw meat--although I like to eat it. A naked chicken breast isn't quite as bad as one with skin...shudder!...and bone. Weird hang up for a former farm girl!
    Aiyana

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  5. I'm fixing chicken tonight on the grill. I will try adding the cinnamon along with the usual lemon juice and honey glaze. Thanks for the recipe. After years of opting for the easy method (boneless/skinless), lately I've been buying whole chickens and cutting them in half or in pieces with a pair of kitchen shears. Much better flavor, cheaper, and not as processed.

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  6. Julie - my favorite are thighs too, the legs seem a bit tough. But I'm afraid I like the skin on...

    Dee - That's how I cook wings when I have people over. Everybody loves them, and they think I'm a great cook... Of course, I will never share my secret recipe with them...

    Aiyana - I never suffered from any hang up about flesh... of course, I helped butcher chickens when I was younger, so any hang-up I had were drowned off...

    Abe - cinnamon on pastry always has sugar involved, without the sugar, the flavor is very different, spicier is the only way I can describe it...

    W2W - see Abes comment up there ^ about cinnamon and honey glaze. But let me know how it turns out...

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  7. It was delectable, delightful, de-wonderful...! We even smeared the glaze on some ears of corn roasting on the grill, and it gave them an extra burst of sweet, tender flavor. Cinnamon will be a regular ingredient from now on. Thanks!

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  8. I forgot to tell you that the cinnamon added so much flavor that salt use was almost negligible. I've read somewhere that cinnamon helps stimulate the circulatory system and is antibacterial--added bonuses besides the great flavor.

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