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Easy weeknight dinners are key in this house. Combine a crispy oven fried chicken breast with rich, nutty brown rice, and veggies from the garden and we’re happy campers!
If you asked me whether or not I meal plan, my answer would be, “No.”
It’s less the idea of sitting down and thinking of fun meals to make ahead of time, and more the fact that I (and really the family) have cravings some days and not others. Why play for pasta when everyone feels like tacos?
But I suppose the idea that I don’t meal plan at all isn’t entirely true.
I base our weekly meals on what happens to be on sale each week at the grocery store, what veggies happen to be ripe on the homestead, and what I keep in the pantry. Doing meals this way keeps me on my toes, and really gives us a way to purposefully try new things, as well as stay within a pretty tight grocery budget.
I have staples that are always in the pantry, and can be used for a wide variety of things: pasta, potatoes, couscous and rice.
Rice is one of my family’s favvvvvvorites, and I love it because the ways you can cook with it seem endless — it can be part of nearly any meal! While I enjoy making a quick stir-fry or a simmering jambalaya with rice, each week we have at least one meal where rice, in its basic form, is enjoyed on the side.
Especially something simple to prep like Minute Whole Grain Brown Rice, ready in 10 minutes. Its rich, nutty flavor means it can hold its own along side chicken or beef. And it’s versatile enough to be played up a little, like when I’ve given it a subtle flavor with some of my homemade chicken stock in place of water … and that’s super yummy, too.
When I went to the grocery store recently, one of the week’s deals happened to be split chicken breast halves, bone-in, skin on … two for only $2.50! I bought two packages and went quickly on my way. (In hindsight I should have purchased more.)
My thought was, “Why not cook oven fried chicken breast halves just like one of our favorites, Easy Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs, and save the leftovers for a casserole or a pasta dish later in the week?” Yes, I sometimes talk to myself.
And so I did. Easy oven fried chicken breast halves with crispy skin…success!
The beauty of this recipe (like the chicken thighs) is that it takes only a few minutes to prep, then the oven does all the work while you help the kids with homework, catch up on the latest episode of The Walking Dead, or throw in a load of laundry.
And while the chicken breasts are resting, you can make the rice — dinner’s never been more simple! Enjoy!
Easy Oven-Fried Chicken Breast Halves with Perfectly Crispy Skin
Love crispy skin? These easy oven-fried chicken breast halves fit the bill!
Ingredients
- 4 split chicken breast halves, bone-in & skin on
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil