Eight Dollars??!!!

Woo hoo! Gas prices are way down lately around us. How about you? Now, they actually have gone back up a tad compared to a few weeks ago, but it's still cheaper than it has been in a long time, so I won't complain. However, I have noticed something interesting. Even though the cost of fuel has gone down, grocery prices, at least on some items, have continued to go up.

Now, to me, if the fuel it takes to haul them from Point A to Point B, is cheaper, than the price should reflect that. I'm not talking about things that are out of season that have to come across the country. I know to get a good tomato or orange in Indiana in the winter I'm going to pay a premium. These items are ones that don't really have a season per say, and just continue to go up.

One in particular? Chicken. It's not cheap. And it just keeps getting more not cheap. In fact, in our house, with the budget I set for myself, if chicken isn't on sale, I don't buy it. Thankfully at least one store around us usually has a sale about once per week, or every other, so I am lucky.

But a couple weeks ago I wanted a whole roasting chicken. Nothing fancy, just one I could slap some garlic and lemon on and throw in the oven. I couldn't find any in the sales ad, but I figured I would look in store since sometimes there are unadvertised specials. Well guess what! There weren't. In fact, the cheapest roasting chicken I could find was over $8!! And there are only three of us, so it's not like I was trying to buy some huge bird to feed an army. I'm talking about a 4.5-5 pound one...so you can see why $8+ was a little crazy to me.

So, there I stood, looking around in the poultry case trying to figure out what I could do instead. I'm sorry, I just refused to spend that kind of money. While what I wanted wasn't on special, they did have leg quarters at a great price, so they went in the cart instead...and this yummy recipe came to be.

If you aren't a skin lover, I'm sure this would be just as delicious on boneless skinless too, just with less of a crispy result. For me, I am a skin fanatic, from way back. In fact, others in the family, including my husband will relinquish their skin to me without even asking because they know it's a sure bet I want it.

The combination of seasonings lead to a rich flavor, with a crispy outside and tender and juicy on the inside.  A terrific oven chicken dinner perfect for any weeknight! Plus, with only a handful of ingredients, it's very budget friendly too...rather you can find the chicken on sale or not!

Rustic Roasted Chicken

4 chicken leg quarters, trimmed

3 TBS vegetable oil

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven 400. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together oil, paprika, seasoning salt, thyme and garlic powder. Lay chicken on a rack in a large roasting pan. Baste liberally with marinade. Bake for 60-75 minutes, until juices run clear. Half way during cooking time, spoon some pan drippings over the chicken, and then again right before serving.
*NOTE* If your chicken doesn't give off much liquid, simply whisk together the same marinate ingredients in HALF quantities and baste during cooking. And if you do choose to use boneless skinless, I would mix up the marinade and let the chicken sit in it in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. Then mix up a second batch to baste while cooking. 

Shared on The Country Cook Feb. 6, 2015