Grandma's Baked (and better than fried) Chicken

*serves 4-6 depending how many gavones you have over for dinner, this also makes for a great leftover warm up

My grandmother had a few hallmark recipes, ones that were so memorable I can still taste them by simply closing my eyes and picturing myself in her Brooklyn basement apartment. My food memories are so real that they don’t even hold a specific space in time, they’re just always there, for better or for worse, but I’ll save the sad stories for another time — the binging, hiding food and eating in secret.

The way grandma prepared chicken thighs and legs was unparalleled to anyone else. She had a gift for flavor, using herbs and acid to their maximum capacity, salting to a tee and serving the meal so carelessly that it was charming — oil dripping on the plate, loose breadcrumbs strewn on the table — not the neatest cook, but by far the best.

While I prepared this plate a few months ago (ok, fine, September of 2025), I haven’t gotten around to writing the recipe. Between surgeries, a lack of mobility and maybe a dash of motivational missteps and mild circumstantial depression — writing and cooking have been put on the back burner,— no pun intended. But my best friend is trapped in an unwieldy North Carolina snowstorm that will have her homebound with chicken legs and thighs, so here we are. Since she asked for the recipe this morning, I figured it’s high time to get this meal out of my mind and the time space continuum and onto a page. An homage to to my grandma and my best friend who, coincidentally, share the same exact birthday. Thank you, both, for the motivation. Finally.

So, in her recipe we exclusively use chicken legs and chicken thighs. Why? Because they are naturally juicier and moist, given of their higher fat content. Fuck a breast. Also, pro-tip, getting sick? Go for the dark meat, it’s loaded with Zinc, which you’ll also need when battling a cold or the winter season woes of a dripping nose.

To get started, here’s what you’ll need — aside from the desire to cook and a heart full of love — like grandma (and yours truly).

10-12 pieces of mixed chicken thighs and drumsticks/legs (bone in and skin on)
A mix of minced fresh herbs, dried are also a-ok: basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme
6 cloves of garlic, pressed
Zest and Juice of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons or red or white wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
A large Pyrex dish or bowl or 2 gallon sized Ziploc bags

Begin by trimming the excess fat off of the chicken. What do I mean? Start by trimming the sides of the fat folds and the fat that lies underneath the thighs in little pockets. Trim any fat that is hanging from the drumsticks and put them aside in your Pyrex dish or into your Ziploc bags.
Press the garlic and mince all of your herbs, zest and juice the lemon.
Prep is the key to cooking success. To all cooking success.
Once all ingredients (noted above) have been prepped, you can begin to add them on to the chicken, along with the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
If you’re using a Pyrex dish — MIX — WITH YOUR HANDS — GET IN THERE or shake it all up in your Ziploc bag you neat freak who is afraid to touch chicken.
Now, add those bread crumbs and mix or shake it up one last time.
Place the marinated chicken aside and, yes, let it marinate, for like 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat your oven to 375 or 400 degrees so it’s nice and hot (see notes below on temperature).

Once you’ve done all of the above, like a boss, get that chicken on a baking sheet. I like to line my baking sheet with foil. Why? Less mess and scrubbing during clean. And I use a small wire rack. Why? All the juicy chicken bits and breadcrumbs fall to the bottom of the rack and onto the foil, cooking it to a crisp and making it a TASTY FLAVOR BOMB addition to your plate upon serving, or picking before you serve. Yes, I pick before I serve. Always.

Also, don’t panic at the kitchen disco, you can cook this without foil or without a rack. Don’t worry. The bits will live on the pan and you can just get a better arm workout after dinner or, rightly, ask someone else to do the dishes — you just cooked. Without the rack, you’ll still get those fabulous tasty breadcrumb bombs to sample and serve too.

Place the chicken in your preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes depending upon how thick your chicken pieces are and hot hot your oven gets. I like to cook at a higher temperature for a few reasons — it’s faster and the chicken will start to brown sooner. But keep an eye on it, you want it to brown, not burn. If you fear burning the chicken, cook it at 375 for 45 minutes or so (but check it before then, these are only estimates) and pop it in the broiler for 5-7 minutes to get that golden, crusty, gorgeous finish.

Grandma's Baked (and better than fried) Chicken

*serves 4-6 depending how many gavones you have over for dinner, this also makes for a great leftover warm up

Ingredients

10-12 pieces of mixed chicken thighs and drumsticks/legs (bone in and skin on)
A mix of minced fresh herbs, dried are also a-ok: basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme
—6-8 basil leaves, chiffonade or roughly chopped or 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried basil
—3 tablespoons of fresh oregano or 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried oregano
—1/4 cup of fresh parsley, minced or 2 tablespoons of dried parsely
—4-5 small branches of rosemary, 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried rosemary
—4-5 sprigs of thyme or 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried thyme
6 cloves of garlic, pressed
Zest and Juice of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons or red or white wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper (estimated 1-2 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of pepper)
A large Pyrex dish or bowl or 2 gallon sized Ziploc bags

Instructions

—Begin by trimming the excess fat off of the chicken. What do I mean? Start by trimming the sides of the fat folds and the fat that lies underneath the thighs in little pockets. Trim any fat that is hanging from the drumsticks and put them aside in your Pyrex dish or into your Ziploc bags.
—Press the garlic and mince all of your herbs, zest and juice the lemon.
—Once all ingredients (noted above) have been prepped, you can begin to add them on to the chicken, along with the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
—If you’re using a Pyrex dish — MIX — WITH YOUR HANDS — GET IN THERE or shake it all up in your Ziploc bag you neat freak who is afraid to touch chicken.
—Add the bread crumbs and mix or shake it up one last time.
—Place the chicken aside and let it marinate, for like 30 minutes to an hour.
—Preheat your oven to 400 degrees so it’s nice and hot.
—Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and place a small wire rack on top. It’s ok if you don’t have a wire rack, lining your tray with foil will do — or don’t do either — dinner will still get on the table.
—Place the chicken in your preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes depending upon how thick your chicken pieces are and hot hot your oven gets. I like to cook at a higher temperature for a few reasons — it’s faster and the chicken will start to brown sooner. But keep an eye on it, you want it to brown, not burn.
—Cooks note on temperature: If you fear burning the chicken, cook it at 375 for 45 minutes or so (but check it before then, these are only estimates) and pop it in the broiler for 5-7 minutes to get that golden, crusty, gorgeous finish.
—Serve hot with side of your choice.