Crispy Chicken Pieces

This is my all-time favorite way to prepare chicken for an easy family dinner. First of all, I like to start with my favorite chicken arrangement, the Whole Cut-Up Chicken. Yes, the frozen bag of breasts is wonderful in the freezer for elegant boneless dishes, and the whole chicken wins for cuteness and Sunday dinner, but for ease of fixing and a mix of light and dark, I go for the package of parts.

The marinade:

You can do this early in the day, or as late as half an hour ahead of time. I like to aim to have the chicken marinating all afternoon. And don't forget--your version will be as good as mine if you need to substitute something. I use:

juice of a lime and an orange (or two limes)
about 1/3 c. mirin or honey if I'm out of mirin
about 1/2 c. tamari (crucial)
3-5 crushed cloves of garlic.
Mix and pop it all in a gallon ziploc in the fridge.

To cook:

Heat oven to 425. Spread your chicken out spaciously, no touching. Make sure the skin side is up. I often need two pans for this--so be it. Do not cover. Stick in the oven and leave for 45 minutes or so. Fancier cooks will turn the chicken pieces over for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking--I often don't bother.

Oven technique is everything here. Don't be afraid of that high heat, and don't start thinking you need to drape some foil over the meat! Your chicken is going to go to a deep dark delicious mahogany brown, and it will be crispy on the outside and juicy and tender inside.

I use the pan juices straight or the fat separated off if I'm feeling virtuous, poured over rice, or even stirred into risotto at the end of cooking. Salty but so good!