Great Grandma Nina's Oven Barbecued Chicken

Dinner is served.  Not fancy, but tasty!

As the title implies, this recipe has been in my family for a very long time.  Nina was my Grandfather's Step-Mother, and although I know very little about her, I think i would like her, because this is one tasty chicken dish!

Coming from a very frugal, blue-collar background, Nina knew how to make a little go a long way, and this is a very budget friendly recipe.  A whole chicken cut up shouldn't run you more that $7, and you get a generous helping of chicken for this dinner, and then you have the bones and other goodies leftover that you can make chicken stock with. Additionally, most of the sauce ingredients can be found in your fridge and pantry already, so no need for an extra shop.

I didn't have any ketchup today (I have about a bajillion condiments, but was actually out of ketchup!) So I made my own jazzed up version to use in this dish.  If you're interested in the recipe for my 'ketchup' - click here, but note that if you use this 'ketchup', you don't need to use any of the sauce ingredients for Nina's recipe, as they are all incorporated into my recipe.  Just use my 'ketchup' over the par-roasted chicken & onions, and then follow Nina's cooking method. You won't need all of it, just use enough to cover the chicken and create a shallow bath for it to cook in.

So without further ado - here is Nina's recipe!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut up (you don't have to do the cutting, you should be able to find this in your grocery store all ready to go!)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 large sweet onion, cut into slices
1 tsp rosemary
2/3 cup ketchup
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
4 T butter (sometimes I omit or halve this - it adds richness to the sauce and helps to brown the skin)
1/4 tsp dry mustard.

Directions:

Briefly browned, top with
onion, and ready for sauce!

Sauced & Ready to Go.
Bake me!!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the chicken with some S&P, and place skin side down in a single layer in a greased glass baking dish, and cook for 15 minutes, or just until the skin starts to brown.  Remove, turn chicken skin side up, and top with the sliced onions.  In a saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Mix well and bring to a rolling boil.  Let cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, and pour over the chicken.  Cook for 30 minutes, and then turn the chicken over so it's skin side down.  Cook for another 30 minutes.  Turn the chicken skin side up, and baste the chicken (just spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken). Put it under the broiler and cook, basting frequently, until the top is nice and browned & crispy.  Serve with some of the sauce and cooked onions spooned on top.  I like this with a side of stuffing (secret cheat... stovetop is tasty) and a green salad. Also good with rice pilaf and steamed green beans.

Enjoy!