My Mom's BEST chicken recipe. According to her -- it's no fail.
Step 1: Get Out Ingredients
The first thing you're going to want to do is get out all of your ingredients. Without a doubt, the preparation will be the hardest part of this dish, if you even consider it to be hard. As you can see, the recipe originally used Cornish hens, but it has been somewhat revamped since the 80's. Prepare yourself for the easiest, most delicious, chicken ever.
Step 2: Spatchcock Your Whole Chicken
The revamping in this recipe is mainly the switch from Cornish hens to a whole chicken. However, we are going to take it one step further. Spatchcock chicken. Simply, a chicken without a back bone. This is easily done with a little instruction, so I have attached a video on how to do this.
Step 3: Season Your Chicken
Once you have completed this, heavily season the chicken with salt and pepper (on the top and bottom) and let it come to room temperature while the flavor is being soaked in. Salt is so incredibly important in cooking. It provides flavor and also tenderizes meat. The longer it sits, the better it will be.
Step 4: Prep Sauce Ingredients
The other ingredients in this recipe are sherry wine (very dry white wine), soy sauce (Tamari is the best gluten free brand), chopped up onions (not pictured) and lemon juice (ALWAYS freshly squeezed). Now that you are all set up, pre-heat your oven to 450.
Step 5: Shake Up Your Sauce Mixture
This mixture consists of 1/2 cup of sherry, 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. We doubled the recipe because our chicken was very large. You're going to want to shake this mixture until it is fully combined.
Step 6: Assemble Your Chicken
Pictured here is a deep dish with the sherry mixture, sliced onions, and the chicken laying on top of it. Feel free to spoon some of the mixture on top of it to ensure that the flavor is being evenly distributed. At this point, your oven should be at 450.
Step 7: Cook Your Chicken
Cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 for another 25-30 minutes. Rule of thumb is about 5 minutes per pound of the whole chicken (if the backbone is taken out). Once your chicken is fully cooked through, let is REST. The juices will absorb back into the meat, ensuring that it is juicy and delicious. The onions will have caramelized and the sauce will make a light gravy.
Step 8: Carve & Plate Your Chicken
Just beautiful. This recipe is easy, fast, and no-fail! Pair it with rice or pasta, and your favorite vegetable. With 5 simple ingredients, you can make a delicious home-cooked meal.
Step 9: Call Your Mom
This is a healthy reminder to take the time to learn one of your Mom's recipes. There is nothing more special to me than spending time in the kitchen with a loved one. Thank you for the recipe, Mom!