Salted chicken in the oven

Features of baking chicken with salt, temperature and cooking time in the oven

Before we start cooking, let's focus on the most important points. This will help avoid mistakes for those who are going to cook the dish for the first time.

What kind of salt is suitable?

To bake chicken in this way, you need to use the simplest salt (rock or sea), without additives. A coarse (coarse) grind is ideal.
The salt is poured onto a baking sheet/in a heat-resistant form/frying pan with a removable handle in an even layer approximately 1.5-3 cm thick. To make it easier to remove after cooking, the baking sheet should be covered with parchment paper or foil.
It is better to throw away the salt pillow immediately. If it cools down, mixed with juice and fat from the bird, it will turn into a monolithic solid layer, and it will not be easy to get rid of it.

How to properly prepare chicken for baking?

Before cooking, the bird must be completely thawed and wiped dry. This will help prevent excessive moisture release and, as a result, salt sticking to the chicken skin. If this happens, it is better to immediately remove this section of skin with a knife and throw it away.
You need to place the chicken on the salt with its back down, so the breast will remain as juicy as possible and will be well browned on top.
If desired, the carcass can be cut in half along the back and “opened” like a tobacco chicken. This will ensure the chicken cooks faster and more evenly.
To prevent the tips of the wings from burning during baking, they should be covered with foil or hidden in “pockets” by cutting the skin on the sides of the breast.
It is better to tie the legs together with twine - then the carcass will look neater after baking, and the juice will not be released too intensely.
You can stuff the internal cavity of the bird with apples, rice, dried fruits, potatoes, buckwheat, mushrooms - whatever your heart desires.
The meat can be greased with softened butter mixed with herbs or spices. To do this, you need to carefully lift the skin, trying not to damage it, and distribute the aromatic oil mixture in an even thin layer. It will turn out even juicier.

Mode, temperature and cooking time

There is no fundamental difference between baking chicken in a gas or electric oven. Recommended cooking temperature is 180 degrees. It is not advisable to raise it to 200 degrees - this can lead to burning and cracking of the skin. This risks the chicken meat becoming dry.
To form a golden brown crust on top, bake using convection mode. Shortly before the end of cooking, you can turn on the grill to brown the crust even better.
The approximate cooking time can be calculated using the formula: 35-40 minutes * 1 kg of meat. That is, a two-kilogram chicken will bake for about 1 hour and 10-20 minutes. If the bird is domestic and not broiler, it should be cooked longer.
You can check the readiness of the dish with a toothpick or knife. When the carcass is pierced in the thickest part (thigh, breast), absolutely clear juice should come out.

With garlic

The recipe for salted chicken cooked in the oven can be changed to your taste by adding additional ingredients. For example, garlic will give a very appetizing aroma to a dish. It should be used in large quantities at once - 2 whole heads.

Ingredients

For the dish you need to take:

chicken carcass – 1 large (about 1.2-1.3 kg);
garlic (medium-sized heads) – 2 pcs.;
coarse salt – 450-500 g;
spices.

As for spices, only freshly ground black pepper will be enough.

Step-by-step cooking process

The cooking process includes several stages:

First you need to wash and dry the chicken. The carcass is immediately sprinkled with ground pepper. You can use any seasonings for poultry. The main thing is that they do not contain salt, otherwise there will be too much of it in the recipe.
A baking sheet or ovenproof dish is suitable for baking chicken. You need to pour the entire amount of salt stated in the recipe into the selected container. It is distributed over the surface in an even layer.
Whole heads of garlic will be used. It needs to be cleaned only from the top dry layer of husk. Both garlic heads are sent inside the prepared chicken carcass. You can also sprinkle a pinch of seasoning on top of them. For example, Provencal herbs. There is no need to sew up the bird; the heads of garlic will remain inside the carcass anyway.
Next, you need to place the chicken on the salt layer - breast side up. If the carcass is very large, then the breast can be lightly salted, since the bird will not turn over.
Bake the treat for 60-65 minutes. at 170-180°. Next, you need to increase the temperature by about 20-30 degrees and give the chicken a golden brown crust. The readiness of the bird is checked by piercing a knife near the bone - by clear juice.

When serving, place the carcass on a large dish and garnish with fresh vegetables. First you need to remove all the garlic from it. The latter can be peeled, crushed and added to the sauce.

Whole chicken baked in salt, according to a recipe from Daria Dontsova’s book

Ingredients:

large chicken carcass (broiler) – 2 kg or more;
non-iodized table salt – 1 kg pack;
deodorized vegetable oil – 2-4 tsp. (not necessary)

Cooking method:

Remove any remaining feathers, rinse thoroughly, and dry the chicken with paper towels - outside and inside. It is not recommended to remove fat: it will add juiciness to the dish, and the excess will be absorbed into the salt layer. The extreme phalanges of the wings must be cut off or wrapped in strips of foil - otherwise they will burn. Tie the legs together using a strong thread.
Place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of a large pan. Sprinkle salt on top - the layer height should be at least 2 cm.
Preheat the oven to a temperature of 180 degrees. Place the chicken carcass in a mold directly on the salt, grease the skin on top with vegetable oil - with your hands or a pastry brush. In the classic version of the recipe, no spices are required to be added: this will reveal the natural taste of chicken meat more clearly. However, if desired, you can rub the carcass with spices - garlic, pepper, marjoram, rosemary, etc.
Place the chicken in the oven and cook for at least one and a half hours - at the rate of 40-45 minutes for each kilogram of chicken meat. To check for doneness, use a sharp knife to poke holes in the breast and thigh of the chicken. The juice that flows from the holes should be clear. If the juice is pink, the bird should be baked for another 10-20 minutes.
Transfer the finished chicken from the baking dish to a dish; the salt should easily come away from the carcass. This salt should be thrown away along with the parchment; it can no longer be used (therefore, for this recipe it is advisable to buy the simplest, cheapest salt).

Baked chicken should have a crispy golden crust, and underneath it should be very soft, tender, juicy meat that has absorbed the optimal amount of salt.

Bottle baking method

One of the interesting and rather extravagant ways to cook chicken using salt is to bake the carcass on a glass bottle.

The chicken is prepared for baking in the same way as in the classic version on a bed of salt. So, you need to prepare:

A chicken weighing a kilogram or a little more;
A mixture of spices that can be crushed in a little olive oil;
Half a kilogram of salt;
Plain water;
Apple;
A bottle according to the size of the chicken (a half-liter bottle or a narrow jar will do).

The container must be filled 75 percent with plain water. Add a chopped apple to the water.

Place a layer of salt on a baking sheet or baking dish. The chicken is rubbed with spices and “sat on a jar.”

Delicious chicken with lemon on a baking sheet with salt - amazing crispy crust

What we will cook from:

whole chicken or broiler chicken - approximately 1.5 kg;
plain salt, rock salt – 0.8-1 kg (as much as it will take);
vegetable oil, uncooked - 3-4 tbsp. l.;
small lemon – 1 pc.;
garlic – 6 cloves;
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme (or 1 tsp dried).

How to bake in the oven:

For the marinade, squeeze half the garlic (3 cloves) through a press, add fresh rosemary and thyme leaves (or dried spices). Squeeze juice from half a lemon. Mix all this with vegetable oil.
Cut the other half of the lemon into 8-12 pieces, and the remaining garlic into slices.
Process the chicken carcass, rinse, and wipe off the water with paper napkins. Tuck the tips of the wings and legs into the slits made in the skin of the chicken with a sharp knife. Generously coat the outside and inside of the carcass with marinade. Cover the dish with chicken with cling film and marinate in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours, or even better, for the whole day. If you need to cook the chicken right away, you can leave it at room temperature for half an hour and then bake it.
Line the bottom of an ovenproof dish with parchment or foil and cover with a thick layer of salt. Place pieces of lemon, garlic and remaining sprigs of aromatic herbs inside the carcass. Place the chicken on a bed of salt and place the pan in the oven. Cooking time – an hour and a half, temperature – 180°C. Periodically, the chicken needs to be removed from the oven and coated with the remaining marinade.
When the skin is covered with a ruddy, appetizing crust, and clear juice flows out from the puncture, the dish is ready. Before serving, remove the lemon, garlic and herbs from the carcass and discard them along with the used salt.

As an option, before baking, stuff the carcass with pieces of peeled potatoes or half-cooked rice. The side dish will bake along with the chicken and soak in its juices. If desired, you can use other spices: curry, ginger, rosemary, basil, mustard beans, all types of pepper, paprika, etc.

Chicken thighs recipe

Chicken in salt in the oven (the recipe can be found in different variations) is prepared in parts in different ways. For example, only chicken legs are used for this. For a brighter taste of the poultry, you should stuff them with fresh garlic. Your favorite seasonings are also included.

Ingredients

For the dish you need to take:

chicken legs – 4 pcs.;
garlic – 3-5 cloves;
salt and spices.

Khmeli-suneli is an excellent spice for such a treat.

Step-by-step cooking process

The cooking process includes several stages:

The washed and dried legs are placed on a flat surface. You need to make 2-3 deep sizes on them (depending on the size of the chicken parts).
You will need to insert half or 1/3 garlic cloves into the resulting holes. Additionally, you can use granulated garlic, after mixing it with hops-suneli or other selected seasoning.
Rub the top of the legs thoroughly with spices. But salt is not used. Enough “pillow” for it during cooking so that the meat does not become bland.
Pour salt into a baking container in a thick layer. It should be approximately 0.5-0.7 cm.
Already prepared stuffed legs are laid out on top.
The container with all its contents must be placed in an oven preheated to 190-200°. The dish will bake for about half an hour. There is no need to turn the legs over. Even without smearing with mayonnaise, the bird according to this recipe turns out juicy.

Serving the legs is delicious with any pasta as a side dish. For example, you can cook spaghetti with a sauce of heavy cream, salt and mushrooms.

A very good recipe for homemade chicken on a salt bed with apples

You will need:

broiler carcass weighing 1.5-2 kg;
a pack of table salt – 600-800 g;
sweet and sour apples – 2-4 pcs.;
raisins – 100 g;
pitted prunes – 100 g;
dry spices (ground pepper, aromatic herbs).

Step-by-step cooking instructions:

Wash the apples, cut into small pieces, removing the core, but without cutting off the peel. Rinse the prunes and raisins, briefly steam with boiling water, then drain the water, dry the dried fruits on a paper towel. Mix with apple pieces and dry spices. In addition to the above products, you can also use pears, quince, dried apricots, lemon with zest, etc. for the filling.
Rinse the broiler carcass, remove the rump, excess skin, and remaining feathers. It is better to leave the internal fat - it will turn out juicier. Fill the cavity with the filling, lightly tamping each portion. Using a toothpick, peel off the skin at the bottom of the abdomen. Tie the legs crosswise so that they do not spread wide apart during baking. Secure the upper phalanges of the wings to the carcass with toothpicks or cover with foil.
Spread a 2-inch layer of salt onto a baking sheet, heavy-bottomed frying pan without a handle, or into a large baking dish. Place the stuffed chicken on the salt, back side down. If desired, add more pepper and grease the top with vegetable oil (optional).
Bake at a temperature of 180-190 degrees for 1 hour or more, depending on the weight of the carcass.
Transfer the finished chicken, covered with a light brown crispy crust, to a serving dish. If salt is stuck to the skin, you need to carefully shake it off. Remove toothpicks. foil, remove apples and dried fruits from the belly, cut the chicken into portions. Serve with a side dish of rice or potatoes.

Features of cooking

When preparing the dish under discussion, salt solves two important problems at once: it absorbs leaking fat and seasons the bird with perfect precision. In addition, this baking method minimizes dirty dishes and protects the treat from burning.

There are several main features of preparing the dish:

You should not choose a bird whose weight exceeds 2 kg, otherwise it will take too much time to bake and the meat may not be salted (the optimal size is from 1.2 to 1.8 kg);
Homemade chicken is not suitable for the discussed cooking method; it turns out dry;
it is worth baking the bird with regular table salt, the layer of which is 1-1.5 cm (usually it takes from 500 to 900 g), but iodized salt adds bitterness to the finished dish;
It is also possible to use sea salt with various herbs and spices;
You can first marinate the bird in mayonnaise (or its mixture with ketchup), adjika, garlic and pepper, then the taste of the meat will be even more interesting;
It’s delicious to put heads of garlic, lemon, orange, apple and dried fruits inside the carcass, the latter can then be served along with the meat.

Bake cut chicken on coarse salt with potatoes and garlic

Required:

large chicken carcass weighing 1.8-2.0 kg;
potatoes for baking – 1 kg;
table salt – 700-1000 g;
refined vegetable oil (sunflower, olive) – 100 ml;
aromatic spices: ground pepper of different types, curry, garlic, ginger, or a ready-made spice mixture.

Step by step recipe:

Soak the potatoes in cold water for an hour, then rinse thoroughly with a brush and rinse several times - they should be absolutely clean for baking “in their jackets”. Cut each potato lengthwise into two parts, grease with some vegetable oil.
Cut the chicken carcass lengthwise along the central bone of the breast, removing all the entrails and excess skin. Then rinse well and dry with paper towels.
Place the uncovered carcass on the board, skin side up, and rub generously with marinade. Let soak for 5-10 minutes.
Sprinkle salt into an even layer on a baking sheet - the simplest and cheapest one. Place the “spread out” chicken skin side up on top and press down slightly. Place the potato halves around, cut side up. Here, if desired, you can add apples, turnips, carrots, and other vegetables cut into large slices.
Place the baking sheet in a hot oven (180 degrees). Cook for 45 minutes.

The dish can be served when the potatoes have browned and become soft, and clear, not pinkish-cloudy, juice flows out of the puncture in the chicken. The meat will be soft, juicy and moderately salty.

Chicken legs (fillets, wings, other pieces), fried with salt in the oven

List of ingredients:

chicken legs (or any parts - wings, thighs, legs, drumsticks, breast with skin) - 1 kg;
a pack of salt without additives – 500-600 g;
odorless vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
a set of dry spices: marjoram, granulated garlic, curry, turmeric, ginger or others - 1/2 teaspoon each.

How to do:

Wash, clean the legs, dry their surface with napkins.
Rub the seasoning all over the bird. Let marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature. If time permits, the marinated chicken can be refrigerated for several hours. Then coat each piece with vegetable oil.
Line a baking tray or ovenproof dish with aluminum foil/baking paper. Pour all the salt from the pack on top and smooth it out. Place chicken pieces, skin side up, over the entire surface.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees with convection. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes until fully cooked.
Remove the cooked chicken from the baking sheet using tongs or two forks and transfer to a plate. Serve with any side dish and vegetables.