Creole Baked Chicken

Total Time: 2 hr 0 min Prep 20 min Cook 1 hr 40 min Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Baked chicken:

• 8 chicken pieces (2 each legs, wings, breasts, thighs) or 6 skin-on chicken breasts


• 1 fresh lemon, halved


• 2 tablespoons onion powder


• 2 teaspoons dried thyme


• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, ground to a powder with a mortar and pestle


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Creole Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil


• 1 shallot clove, minced


• 1 clove garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced


• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary leaves


• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced


• 1 (29 to 32-ounce) can crushed tomatoes


• Salt and freshly ground black pepper


• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes


• 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, and diced


• 1 yellow bell pepper, stem and seed removed, and diced


• 1 small white onion, diced


• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning


• 4 tablespoons butter, cubed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place chicken in a baking pan or baking dish and squeeze lemon juice over. In a small bowl combine onion powder, thyme, ground rosemary, salt, and ground black pepper. Sprinkle over the chicken pieces, cover with foil and bake until the juices run clear and the flesh is fork tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking time. Remove from oven and let rest.

Make the creole sauce while the chicken is in the oven. Heat grapeseed oil over medium heat in a sauce pot. Saute shallots and garlic until shallots turn translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in rosemary and thyme, add crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add grape tomatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, diced onion, cayenne, and Creole seasoning, and simmer for 15 minutes more. Remove from heat and whisk in butter.

Remove chicken from oven, transfer to a platter and let rest. Spoon sauce over and sprinkle with minced parsley leaves.