I, personally, like the chicken grilled; it doesn’t dirty as many dishes and it’s just as juicy. I will do the oven roasting if I’m in a time crunch and need to do other things at the same time. Now, I am not making any money from the products I recommend; but only recommending them because they taste damn good. Seriously.

Ingredients are, as follows:

3-4 Chicken breasts (thighs and tenders will work too)

4 tablespoons of olive oil (I use Central Market’s EVOO from Umbria, Italy)

1.5 tablespoons Spike Seasoning ($4.11 from HEB or you can find various sizes and prices on Amazon)

2 teaspoons (or to taste) Tony Chachere’s Original Cajun Seasoning

• I like a little kick in the back of the throat with the spice, so I use a maximum of 2 tsp.

1 tablespoons dark brown sugar (optional for those watching their carb intake)

• You can use light brown sugar, if that’s all you have on hand, but I prefer the dark brown because it gives it just a taste of sweet, but nuttier flavor because of the amount of molasses in the sugar. It compliments the spices better.

Oven Roasted Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
2. Take the chicken out of the packaging and either put it between two pieces of saran wrap or put two breasts in a gallon plastic storage bag.
   • I use the storage bag method, as I can toss the seasonings in the bag and shake it up without getting my hands dirty.
3. Once the chicken is in the plastic, take a meat tenderizer (it looks like a medieval torture device) and get your stress relief by pounding the chicken until it’s about 1/8^th of an inch thick (kinda skinny, but still curvy).
   • Put your favorite bass heavy song on and groove while tenderizing and getting your stress out. I recommend a song that makes you happy and makes you sing or dance or both; you’ll feel goofy, but the stress you felt a minute ago will disappear.
     • If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, a rolling pin, or a hammer, or the bottom of an empty bottle of wine, or some other heavy, unbreakable (and shatterproof) object will work just fine, too.
4.  When you’re done tenderizing the chicken, let it take a break. Put the Olive Oil on the chicken and massage the chicken, covering all of it– it will thank you later.
5. Take your Spike and Tony Chauchere’s and give it a good mix. Add your brown sugar, if you like a little sugar with your spice. (It’s really good either way, trust me!) Taste the seasoning and make sure the spice is good for your palate, add more if you want. The Cajun seasoning can be surprising sometimes, so I always err on the side of less.
6. Sprinkle the seasoning on the chicken, a teaspoon at a time. To evenly distribute the seasoning, massage the chicken with the seasoning.

7. Take a baking sheet and line it with foil; place your chicken on the foil and then put it into the oven for 16- 20 minutes. Use your best judgement on timing and, if you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should read 160°+Fahrenheit. The juices will be clear and the meat, itself, should be white and not pink.

8. You’ll need to let the chicken rest for a few minutes before diving in and eating it.

Grilled Method:

1. Warm your grill up to about 350° Fahrenheit (about 5-10 minutes with a gas grill).

2. Follow Steps 2- 6, above. Tenderizing is optional, as the chicken will still be as juicy as advertised.

3. Transfer the raw chicken to a plate and walk out to your grill. Make sure the grill is clean; then, place the raw chicken on the grill.

4. Cover, and wait, for 2-3 minutes depending on the size of the meat you’re grilling. You will flip the meat after 2-3 minutes, and do the same for the other side (Side B).

• This will give you a good sear on both sides, allowing the juices to stay inside the meat.

5. Once 3 minutes is up, flip it back to side A for about 4-6 minutes.

• Side A should be a good golden brown and the meat itself will be mostly white on that side.

10. Flip it to Side B, and leave for about 4-6 minutes.

• You will know the meat is done when you cut each piece at the thickest part and it is white on the inside. If it is pink, leave the meat on the grill, but flip back to side A for about 2-3 minutes.

When you’re done with each of these steps, enjoy your chicken with rice and a side veggie!

I recommend forbidden rice (black rice) and oven roasted brussels sprouts or broccoli!

Oh, and if you have a picky eater in the family—this is a MAJOR hit with them too! I made it like I always do for my favorite picky eater- I got a 10-star review and several minutes of “Yummm”, “This is damn good.”, and “Can you make it again?”—all in one breath! So, I make this chicken frequently in my household! Picky eaters can enjoy with mac and cheese, plain rice, or whatever side dish they prefer!

Bon Appetit!

Much Love, Moi

P.S. Always, ALWAYS, Always wash your hands after, and during the process of, handling any raw meat or cooking food.