I never buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts, for two very simple reasons:
1) I’m cheap (erm, thrifty).
2) I’m a nerd.
I won’t buy them because I can routinely purchase bone-in chicken breasts with skin for only 99 cents/lb. In the past, a fellow tightwad (ahem…frugal person) would occasionally argue that they aren’t actually cheaper, because you have to pay for the weight of the bones and skin. Being the giant geek on wheels that I am, I decided that I absolutely must prove these naysayers wrong! I saved all of the skin and bones from a 5-pound package of chicken breasts, weighed it, and calculated the adjusted price per pound. I determined that in order for boneless, skinless chicken breasts to be a good deal, they must cost $1.31 per pound or less, and they’re never, ever that cheap. Not around here anyway.
Now that I’ve bored you with this tedious bit of minutiae, I really hope you still like me.
Anyway….
Bone-in chicken breasts with skin are excellent when slow-cooked or roasted, because the bones and skin help the meat retain moisture and natural juices. At 99 cents per pound (I actually bought them for 88 cents per pound last month, and it was just sad how excited I got about this), they are a very economical, lean, and delicious protein source.
If you’ve never purchased bone-in chicken because you weren’t sure how to prepare it, I’d like to share one of our favorite chicken recipes with you, and encourage you to give it a try. This chicken is so simple, but full of flavor, and when it’s roasting, it makes the house smell amazing! My kids gobble it up, and you know how picky they are, so it must be good!
Savory Roasted Chicken Breasts
4 bone-in chicken breasts, with skin (about 3 1/2 pounds)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon dried, ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Loosen skin on chicken breasts and pull back, but don’t completely detach.
2. In a small bowl, combine the seasonings, except for the lemon juice. Rub the seasonings on the meat, and then pull the skins over top.
3. Pour a tablespoon of lemon juice on top of each breast, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chicken breasts in a foil-lined roasting pan (you’ll thank me later, when you don’t have to scrape all the baked-on gunk off the bottom. I learned this the hard way).
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for about 4o minutes, or until chicken juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F (cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly). Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. The skins will be nice and crispy, but we don’t like them, so we remove and discard them. Of course, go ahead and eat them if you like!
I like to serve this chicken with roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar, and bulgur-rice pilaf. Any leftover chicken is excellent in pasta or chicken salad.
Enjoy!
