This year I’m embarking on a plan to record my simplest, most frequently made, gluten-free, and usually paleo recipes.

First up:

Chicken Oregano

Serves 2-3

This is a great weeknight dish that’s easily doubled to feed more people. I originally got this recipe (like so many) from my mother-in-law, a classic and talented homemaker. I’ve since modified it a bit to reduce the oil and add more garlic salt and oregano.

Remember to always wash your hands after touching raw chicken and before touching anything else. Oh, and there’s no need to wash and pat dry chicken or any other meat before prepping it; in fact the USDA recommends against it because it actually increases the risk of spreading bacteria. Cooking, not washing, will kill any potential pathogens.

After cooking, use the extra pan drippings to drizzle in a baked potato or over cooked brown rice; you won’t need butter!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil (extra-virgin or regular)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed but bottled will work; I use Santa Cruz Organic)

1/2-1 teaspoon garlic salt (0r garlic powder plus salt to taste)

3-4 teaspoons dried oregano

2-3 bone-in chicken breasts (I use RedBird)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a glass pie dish, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic salt, and oregano.
3. Cut any excess fat globs from chicken breasts; otherwise they’ll spatter too much in the oven. Dip each chicken breast in the olive oil mixture, turning to coat both sides. Place in a 9×13-inch baking dish, leaving a bit of space between them so they cook evenly. Pour any remaining olive oil mixture over the pieces, scraping it out of the pie dish with your hands or a spatula.
   
4. Bake chicken for 45 minutes.
5. Remove chicken; spoon pan juices over the pieces. Adjust the oven rack so it’s slightly closer to the top broiler (I place mine one notch higher) and turn on broiler. Return chicken to oven and brown for 4-5 minutes under broiler, watching carefully to avoid burning.
6. Serve with pan juices. Easy, right?