Brown Sugar Spiced Baked Chicken

Welcome back 80 degree weather. I know everyone is joyous that it's finally not raining and broke 80 again, but I actually prefer the low 70s. I know, I know, all you summer fanatics hate me for saying that, but I want a day warm enough to enjoy outside without sweating, and then it cools down just enough at night to throw on a sweatshirt and enjoy a bonfire. Call me crazy. I maybe get 5-6 weeks of that kind of weather here in New England. If I could convince all my friends and family to move away with me, I'd choose a climate to my liking. But, since I'm just not the type to be too far away from family, I guess I'll take the crazy seasons (or sometimes lack-there-of) in New England. I hate the cold and I hate humidity, so more often than not, I am complaining about the weather.

Do you still hate me for saying it?

Last week (though a short week due to Memorial Day) was a long week. I came down with a cold about 12 days ago and can't seem to kick it. Just in time for a long weekend and the week of my birthday. My birthday was great. I got a chance to have dinner with my parents, and we went to the Common Man in Merrimack, NH. Highlight of the meal was definitely the escargot. I also had the braised short ribs, which, while they were delicious, there was just far too much fat and not enough meat to make it worth it.



Escargot! And nails in need of new polish!

Friday night I was able to go out with Dan and friends for a hibachi dinner. Filet and scallops is a good meal to me, and to watch someone entertain me while cooking it is even better. My current entertainment while making dinner tonight is watching Dan install the ceiling fan in our living room. It's almost there, just a few more wires to go....hopefully....

I believe somewhere in the past here on this blog I have scolded myself for the days I forget to take meat out of the freezer and defrost for an upcoming meal. Well, today is not a day for scolding, since I remembered to take the chicken out last night, but even after about 24 hours, it was not nearly defrosted as I needed in the fridge. I went the last stretch using the cold water method. For those of you who don't know, the recommended way to defrost meat is to put it into the fridge for 24 hours or so. If you need to defrost it quicker you can place the meat in a Ziploc bag, remove the air, and submerge it in cold water in a bowl. Change the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold. The warmer the water, the more bacteria can develop (ew!). If need be, you can defrost in the microwave, but you need to cook the chicken immediately after. Using a microwave can be tough, so I never choose that method. And though I know a lot of people who do this - never leave it out at room temperature to defrost. Room temp can equal bacteria city. Of course, I've also read plenty of things that say leaving it out for a short while won't hurt anybody, but to each their own. Better safe than sorry. Mine only needed about an hour in the water, and I was able to marinate my chicken in the spices for half that time, so it worked well for me. In the future, I'd like to marinate my chicken for 1-3 hours like the recipe recommends for that full flavor.

That being said, the flavor of just half an hour marinating in the rub was great! When it baked, some juices ran out and burned onto the foil-lined pan, but the chicken didn't burn onto the pan, so all was good. And if you look at the picture below, one of the chicken breasts grew this pimple thing as it cooked. Not to be alarmed (I was at first), it was just some juices that got trapped. The chicken was just a touch dry, but not as bad as I thought it may have been. Sometimes when baking previously frozen chicken it can dry out quicker because everything may not be an even temperature when cooking.

The fear of burnt chicken

Brown Sugar Spiced Baked Chicken
slightly adapted from Rachel Schultz

3 or 4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1 tsp. oregano

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
2. In a large Ziploc bag, placed sugar and spices. Add chicken, seal, and shake to coat. Let marinate for 1-3 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear.

I served mine with some potatoes and veggies.