Baked Salsa Chicken Recipe - Easy Chicken Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Should I bake chicken covered or uncovered? ›

Larger cuts, such as whole chickens or bone-in pieces, often benefit from covered baking to ensure thorough and even cooking. Smaller cuts, like chicken breasts or tenders, can be baked uncovered for quick results. Lastly, think about the desired texture and flavor you're trying to achieve.

Brine. Like a marinade, a brine helps chicken breast soak up as much moisture as possible before cooking. It only requires three ingredients: water, salt, and a pinch of sugar.

If you're really craving chicken breasts, just memorize the best ways to cook them in the oven. Using a method called “dry-poaching” is best. It involves covering the breasts with a piece of parchment paper before they go in the oven. This allows them to baste in their own juices so they cook up to be tender and juicy.

Given the fact that drumsticks and thighs are dark meat and won't dry out as easily as breasts, the range from 350 to 450 degrees is okay for baking them. 350 to 375 is generally best for breasts. The best answer to these questions? Simply check the chicken for doneness using an instant read thermometer.

It's usually not necessary to add water to the pan for a roast chicken: the steam created by the water can prevent the skin from becoming browned and crisp.

The mayo will lock in moisture and will improve the browning on the grill, leaving you with delicious, charred grill marks that will take your chicken to the next level. Once you try this mayo marinade you won't grill chicken without it again.

Getting a good sear through medium high heat, then reducing the heat to LOW and COVERING the chicken while it cooks. The butter, oil, and chicken juices create a super flavorful liquid that acts as a way to steam the chicken at a low temperature, ensuring that it is moist & tender on the inside.

What is the best kind of chicken for beginners? ›

You hardly need a recipe: just toss a mix of chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast for about a half an hour. No flipping, no fussing, no nothing — and you can pile everything on a serving tray without the bother of pulling out the carving board. So smart.

You're Overcooking Them

This is likely the most common mistake cooks make when it comes to chicken breasts. Of course, nobody wants a medium-rare chicken breast, but sometimes in an effort to fully cook our chicken breasts, we unintentionally overcook them.

Brine the chicken: Soaking the chicken in a brine solution (water and salt) for a few hours before baking can help to keep it moist and tender. Add a liquid: Adding a bit of liquid, such as chicken broth, white wine, or even water to the baking dish can help to keep the chicken moist and tender.

Weigh your chicken and calculate the cooking time according to the guide below. Sit the bird in a roasting tin slightly larger than the chicken, and don't cover it with foil or you won't achieve a crisp skin. Basting your chicken during cooking will help keep the meat moist.

It's always a great idea to cover your dishes with aluminum foil while cooking at high temperatures in the oven. It protects your food from drying out or burning and helps keep in the heat and moisture, ensuring a perfectly cooked meal.

It's usually not necessary to add water to the pan for a roast chicken: the steam created by the water can prevent the skin from becoming browned and crisp.

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.