Active Time

　　15 min

　　Total Time

　　40 min

　　Thick chicken breasts can be hard to get just right; often you're left with a too-dry, too-bland dinner. But this high-heat roasting method results in crisp, crackly skin that gives way to moist flesh, perfumed throughout by a pocket filled with herbed garlic paste.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 (main course) servings

　　3 large garlic cloves

　　1 teaspoon dried oregano

　　Scant 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　4 chicken breast halves with skin and bone (2 to 2 1/4 lb total)

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in upper third.

　　

Step 2

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then transfer to a bowl. Stir in oregano, red-pepper flakes, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

　　

Step 3

Cut a 2-inch-long pocket (about 1 1/2 inches deep) horizontally in side of each breast half and spread 1/2 teaspoon garlic mixture into each pocket. Coat chicken with remaining garlic mixture.

　　

Step 4

Roast chicken, skin sides up, in a foil-lined large shallow baking pan until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.