Baked Chicken Recipes
Spice Rubbed Picnic Chicken
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, (cut larger pieces smaller) trimmed of excess fat and skin
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Make 2 or 3 short slashes in skin of each piece of chicken, taking care not to cut into meat.
- Combine salt, sugar, and spices in small bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Coat chicken pieces with spices, gently lifting skin to distribute spice rub underneath but leaving it attached to chicken.
- Transfer chicken skin side up to wire rack set over rimmed foil-lined baking sheet, lightly tent with foil, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.
- Secure skin of each breast piece with 2 or 3 wooden picks placed near edges of skin.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Roast chicken until thickest part of smallest piece registers 140 degrees F on instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F and continue roasting until chicken is browned and crisp and thickest parts of breast pieces register 160 degrees F, 5 to 8 minutes longer, removing pieces from oven and transferring to clean wire rack as they finish cooking.
- Continue to roast thighs and/or drumsticks, if using, until thickest part of meat registers 170 to 175 degrees F, about 5 minutes longer.
- Remove from oven; transfer chicken to rack and let cool completely before refrigerating or serving.