I love to put food in the oven. Why? You may ask. Well, it allows me to go do a million and one things while they cook.

That is the nice and polished answer, another way to answer that question would be to say some days all my lazy genes activate and I want nothing to do with the kitchen. I always wish I had a chef who could just whip up some good food whenever I am hungry. Probably call him Pierre. I was thinking of the name David but that’s just too common for my fancy imaginary chef. You must always respect your imaginary chefs. That rule also applies to your imaginary friends.

Yes, I know I spend entirely too much time alone so I have come up with imaginary friends to keep me company.

Now let’s get back to the topic and no longer talk about my lack of friends.

This recipe uses simple ingredients to make a moist chicken that you will love to share with your friends and family. I normally bake the chicken for 40 minutes to an hour. Why? Once again the lazy reply. It’s simple. And who doesn’t like simple? You don’t have to answer that question.

The other reason I love this recipe so much is that I can take the unthawed chicken from the freezer and rub some of these spices on it and BAM! In an hour I get a nice juicy chicken that I hardly had to do any prep work for.

If you like a crispy chicken then all you have to do is leave the chicken uncovered when it’s close to finishing. Or you can turn your oven on broil for a few minutes.

I like this recipe with chicken thighs or legs. I leave the skin on but I do a light rinsing using vinegar to take away any mysterious chemicals that may or may not have been added in the process of shipping the good ole bird to a grocery store near me.

Ingredients

2 pounds of chicken thigh or leg (preferably thawed)

1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 salt
1/2 paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano leaves
1/2 tsp  crushed red pepper flakes
1 cups of water or chicken broth
1 tbsp of Worcester sauce
2 garlic cloves (minced) 
1/2  of a medium onion (chopped) 

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. If you haven’t chopped up your onion and garlic, this is a great time to do that.
3. In a small bowl mix all the dry spices together.
4. Place the chopped onion and garlic in your 6×6 baking dish.
5. Add the water or chicken broth to the baking dish.
6. Sprinkle the dry rub over the chicken and make sure each side is nicely covered with seasoning.
7. Place the seasoned chicken into the baking dish and cover with foil.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
9. At the 30-minute mark, flip the chicken on the other side and place it back in the oven.
10. At the 50-minute mark remove the foil and turn the oven up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. This will allow the skin to get a little crispy.
11. To allow each side to get crispy, flip once on each side.
12. Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
13. Serve with your favorite salad or side dish.
14. Enjoy your hard work.