African smoked paprika baked Chicken

Hello Lovies, I have so many recipes for baked chicken depending on my mood or the region of Africa I am drawing my inspiration from.Today, I would like to show you a simple, comforting baked chicken recipe that we enjoy in my household. It is quite delicious and features smoked paprika. I call it African smoked Paprika baked Chicken

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds chicken Leg and thighs included 2 teaspoon Afro Fusion Cuisine Spicy BBQ 2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or dry oregano (not both) 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ½ teaspoon white pepper ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 1/2 teaspoon of Ginger powder ½ teaspoon bouillon powder (you may replace with salt) 5 grains of anise seeds 2 cups of finely chopped onion ( to put at the bottom of the baking pan) 1 cup of roughly chopped celery stem ( put at the bottom- second layer of the baking pan) 3 bay leaves ( option) Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash chicken, Cut in pieces of your liking, wipe with a paper towel. Combine spices, grind dry and mix well. 2. Entirely rub your chicken with generous amount of the spice blends and set aside. 3. In a  baking dish, Put the onion a the bottom, then celery, bay leaves and then the Chicken (rubbed with the spice mixture) and cover with cooking film paper or paper foil . Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. 4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450°. 5. Bake chicken thighs in the preheated oven starting at 450degrees for the first 25 minutes then drop to 375 degrees. Bake until skin is crispy, thighs are no longer pink at the bone, and the juices run clear, about 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F.

Note: to obtain another twist to this recipe called Suya Chicken, I add to the seasoning mix 2 tbs of organic peanut butter paste—- Yummmy!

Enjoy with a side of salad

#Cuisine #chicken #thyme #bayleaves #African