Oven-Baked Curried Chicken

My Venture into Oven-Baked Curried Chicken
I love curry! I know what you're thinking. This recipe sounds spicy. It's not! In fact, I normally use mild curry when I make this chicken (even though I love spicy food) and it was not spicy-hot AT ALL.

I've been experimenting with this recipe for years. I've even tried frying the chicken in oil in a skillet on the stove top – and that was a culinary disaster! The spices in the curry burned very easily so it turned out to be a blacked chicken mess – with very little curry flavor. When baked in the oven, it may not get as crispy as deep frying but the flavor is a thousand times better. On top of that, it's healthier and much easier to clean up.

I've done this recipe with chicken wings, breasts, and thighs. However, I don't like to mix those cuts and bake them all at one time because they cook at different rates. I usually buy a pack of, for example, chicken breasts so I don't have to worry about the varying cooking times of white and dark pieces (or big and small pieces). If you decide to bake a mixture of different cuts all at one time, you'll have to watch them carefully to make sure that they are all cooked to the proper internal temperature (170F for dark meat and 160F for white meat).

This recipe is incredibly easy to make, requires very few ingredients, can be inexpensive to prepare, and is on the table with very little effort. You will love the smell of the chicken as it bakes but you will like it even more when you taste it. Your taste buds will thank you. This recipe is perfect for curry lovers who want to try something a little different – without burning your mouth on that spicy curry at your favorite Indian restaurant. Enjoy – and happy eating!

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(Printable Version)

8 - 10 pieces of chicken (skin-on and bone-in)
Salt and pepper
Oil for spritzing or brushing

Mixture for Dredging:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup curry powder (mild or spicy)
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

About six hours before baking the chicken, liberally salt and pepper the pieces of chicken. Place the chicken on a sheet pan in a single layer and place the pan in the refrigerator.

After about six hours, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a sided sheet pan with some heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spray the foil with some cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, curry powder, 3/4 tsp of table salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and cayenne (if using). Thoroughly dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and place the chicken on the sprayed sheet pan – skin-side up. Spritz just enough oil on the top of each piece of chicken to slightly moisten the flour.

Alternatively, you could lightly brush or dab on some oil on the top of each piece of chicken. Once the oven has preheated, bake the chicken for about 50 minutes for thighs (less for breasts and even less for wings).

Special Notes:
I prefer to use the same cut of chicken when making this recipe. For example, I prepared this recipe using all chicken thighs (as pictured here) and they cooked in 50 minutes (to an internal temperature of 170F). If you use all chicken breasts, they will take about 40 minutes (to an internal temperature of 160F). Chicken wings taste GREAT but only need about 30 minutes. I do not like using mixed pieces of chicken (breasts, thighs, wings, etc) because they cook at different rates and that makes it harder to not overcook or undercook some of the pieces.

If you are thinking of frying the chicken in a skillet, don't! The curry powder will burn in the oil and you'll have blackened chicken before it is cooked through. This recipe was not designed for shallow or deep frying.