Garlic-Roasted Chicken Breasts
Why I Love This Recipe
Found this one in the October issue of Gourmet Magazine.
Thick chicken breasts can be hard to get just right; often you're left with a too-dry, too-bland dinner.
But this high-heat roasting method results in crisp, crackly skin that gives way to moist flesh, perfumed throughout by a pocket filled with herbed garlic paste.
Ian Knauer
Ingredients You'll Need
3 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Scant 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 chicken breast halves with skin and bone (2 to 2 1/4 lb total)
Directions
Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in upper third.
Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then transfer to a bowl.
Stir in oregano, red pepper flakes, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Cut a 2-inch-long pocket (about 1 1/2 inches deep) horizontally in side of each breast half and spread 1/2 teaspoon garlic mixture into each pocket.
Coat chicken with remaining garlic mixture.
Roast chicken, skin sides up, in a foil-lined large shallow baking pan until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
