7 Spice Baked Chicken

The first chicken recipe I ever tried to make was this delicious dish that my mum concocted! It's been over ten years since I first took the courage to cook and this 7 spiced baked chicken is always a hit when I make dinner for friends. I love cooking with spices and I can't express enough how important it is for me to bring healthy ingredients to my guests when I make dinner for friends. This dish is packed with easy to get herbs and spices but before I introduce the ingredients to you, I want to share my ultimate love for my favourite spice, turmeric.

Turmeric is one of nature's most powerful healers. It contains the active ingredient in curcumin. It has been used for over 2500 years in India, where it was most likely first used as a dye, but today this natural wonder is a natural liver detoxifier, aids in fat metabolism and help in weight management, has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression, speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin, and many other healthy benefits. A little bottle of it goes a long way, so add turmeric to your supermarket shopping list.

7 Spice Baked Chicken

Tools Needed
Baking Dish
Mixing Bowl
Chef's Knife
Cutting Board
Aluminium Foil-enough to cover the entire chicken


Total Time: 3 hours and 15 minutes
Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

1 whole skinless chicken or choose your favourite pieces
2 medium purple or yellow onions- sliced
6-8 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon of Ground Tumeric
1 Tablespoon of Garam Masala
1 Tablespoon of salt
1 Tablespoon of ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon of shredded ginger
2-3 sprigs of Saffronsteeped in 1/2 cup of boiling water


Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Make sure your chicken is washed and DRIED. In a mixing bowl, add the turmeric, garam masala, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and set aside. Line your baking dish with aluminium foil and place the sliced onions on the foil. Use your hands to rub the spice mix over the chicken and cover completely. If your are using a whole chicken, stuff the cavity with the garlic. I normally love chopping the garlic over the chicken, or make slits in the chicken and stuff the garlic gloves evenly in the chicken. I trust that whatever you do, it will be absolutely perfect. Pour the steeped saffron over the chicken and cover it tightly with the foil. Bake for 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours. Avoid form checking the chicken often, the more you fold and unfold the foil, the less moist and tender your chicken will turn out-trust me! I'm speaking from trial and error.

You can serve this dish with either rice or if you are carb conscious, wrap in lettuce and enjoy dinner with friends.

Photo by Leslee Mitchell