Are you tired of the same old dry chicken? Try something new, thanks to McCormick spices and salt blends. 

One of my family's favorite meals is baked chicken and it's so easy to make. The chicken is slow cooked for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in the oven, or you could use your slow cooker or microwave.

Although, I must admit one of my kitchen (secrets), which is not really a secret, is the Stoneware Baking Bowl and Lid from Pampered Chef. It really makes a great meal. The chicken cooks to a golden brown and so moist. I also have the deep dish baker that becomes a lid. I recommend both.

Some of Pampered Chef stoneware baking bowls are small enough to fit into the microwave and large enough for a chicken. I was shocked to be able to do the same recipe in just 30 minutes, and still be brown and tender. (My older bowl is small enough to fit into my microwave). I think the new one is called a Deep Covered Baker, and it doesn't have the same lid as the older bowl with the flat baking lid. 

Believe me it's the best ever. Pamper Chef stoneware is great and affordable. They start out a little rough in texture and a light color and become well seasoned with use and take on a brown patina. The browner the bowl the better it cooks. And the lid (on some of them) becomes a roasting bowl as well, so you can turn it over it and the lid holds your veggies at the same time. The lid and the bowl are interchangeable, top and bottom. I prefer the chicken in the bowl part with the flat baker lid on top.

Clean up is a breeze because just like a seasoned cast iron skillet, you don't use soap, just hot water. And yes, it's safe! And clean up is just almost as easy as the cooking.

Baking a chicken slowly leaves it moist and bariatric friendly and it's so easy you won't believe it.

Here's how I do it:

Preheat your oven to 325 or 350 degrees. Wash a whole chicken and pat dry. 

The simplest recipe is just to add salt and pepper. Yep, that's it. 

You can also experiment with different spices, which is what I like to do. I have tried stuffing the chicken with lemon halves, which is nice. I have tried various chicken rubs and spices, too, but my recent favorite is something I had in my kitchen that I used to flavor vegetables, especially green beans, McCormick Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt. Oh, yum! 

I did coat the chicken with a little olive oil before hand, just enough so that the spices stick to the chicken. I started the chicken about 3:00 in the afternoon, if I put it into a conventional oven. And I don't have to think about it until dinner....well, actually that's not true, the aroma will remind you soon enough that dinner is going to be fabulous!

My meals are really much simpler now, just add a green vegetable and one starchy one and you have a fast, easy, deliciously, and memorable meal.