Baked Chicken Pieces
Ingredients
- 2lb chicken thighs / drumsticks or even breasts (preferably with skin on)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or 1 butter
- 1 tsp salt for spices + 2 Tbsp salt for brining
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- (4oz) 100g sour cream
- (4oz) 100g mayo
Instructions
Brine the chicken - fill a large bowl with 1 quart of warm water and mix in salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed. Add the chicken breasts and let them sit in the mixture to brine for 15 minutes. Or you can also also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Remove the chicken breasts from the brine, rinse them with cold water, then pat them dry with some paper towels. (However, if the chicken breasts you purchased have already been pre-brined in a sodium solution, skip this step.)
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking dish or on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Brush on both sides (turning once) evenly with the melted butter or olive oil. In a separate small bowl, whisk the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika until combined. Then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the chicken on both sides. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together sour cream and mayo in a bowl.
After 15-18 min, remove from chicken from oven and brush the mayo / sour cream mixture all over. Place back in the oven for 5-10 min uncovered. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. The thickest part of the chicken should be 165°F.
Rest the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven, transfer the chicken to a clean plate, and loosely tent the plate with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes.