Baked Chicken

R3A2 BAKED CHICKEN

I found this recipe in a newspaper in around 1970. It was called 'Chicken Venetian' but I don't know what is Venetian about soy sauce.

2 - 4 lb chicken pieces, with skin and bone, of course.
        I usually use either a whole cut-up fryer or just thighs.
1/4 c soy
2 T vinegar
2 T oil, divided
1 clove garlic or 1/8 tsp minced garlic or equiv powder
1/4 tsp oregano

Choose a baking dish that will let the pieces fit cozily without overlapping. I use pyrex or vintage Corningware. Pour ~1 T of the oil in the dish and put into the oil puddle each piece of chicken skin side DOWN. Move the chicken pieces around in the oil so that the skin is well coated. Leave the chicken with skin DOWN.

Mix together SOY SAUCE, VINEGAR and the remaining 1 T of the OIL along with fresh or jar GARLIC (but not the powder) and pour over the chicken. You can also just pour the liquids directly on the chicken one at a time. Then sprinkle with OREGANO and, if you use garlic in powder form, the GARLIC. I never measure the oregano or garlic, just sprinkle with neither a heavy nor light hand.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake at time/temp indicated, removing foil and turning to skin side up after 3/4 of the time has passed and basting. Baste again once after that if you think of it.

TEMP/TIMES: 400 [375] total time 60 [80] minutes:
45 [60] min (skin side down, covered with foil)
then 15 [20] min (foil removed, skin side up,
basting if you think of it after 7 [10] minutes)
Always yummy.

Notes:
1. The original recipe specified 400 degrees. I think chicken cooks better at a lower temperature for a longer time so I experimented with lowering the temperature and extending the time. I am sure that other temp/times would work OK, too, just keep the proportion of 3:1 for the times for [skin side down and dish covered] : [skin side up and dish uncovered].

2. For years my handwritten version of the recipe (a) did not specify greasing the dish but I always did, and (b) said 2T vinegar and 1T oil. When I gave my aunt the recipe back in the late 70s she wondered about that ratio. A few years ago I found the newspaper clipping, and sure enough it said 1T vinegar and 2T oil, just like in salad dressing. I was right, however, that it was silent about greasing the dish. I like vinegar, though, so I still use 2T of vinegar, and only about 1 T of oil for the sauce.

rjm, first typed up 3/3/03; rev 11/17/13, 5/10/14