Neil Sedaka’s Chicken
May 11, 2008
I rarely pass on e-mail chain letters, but when a recipe swap hit my inbox last week I couldn’t resist. I had to reply with one easy recipe, and then forward the e-mail to twenty friends. Done. Hypothetically I should get 36 recipes back; I’ve received eight already, which is a much better return rate than I ever expected.
This chicken recipe came to me through that exchange from artist Ellen Fisch. Her Web site is an online gallery of her work, and it’s beautiful — look for “Golden Valley” and “Two Umbrellas,” my favorite paintings of those online.
Here’s what Ellen had to say on the origin of the recipe:
The New York Post used to run a column in the 1970′s (& possibly 80′s) that printed interviews with famous people/celebrities and included their favorite recipes. One column was devoted to Neil Sedaka: I always admired Neil Sedaka and thought the recipe sounded good. Leba [Neil's wife] said that their housekeeper had the easiest chicken recipe that was great hot or cold. I made it, loved it & am so glad you do, too.
This is a simple, satisfying recipe that has a not-too-sweet barbecue sauce flavor (without the smoke). I only had reduced-sugar ketchup in my fridge, so I used that. Regular ketchup with a higher sugar content would probably work a bit better, as it would caramelize more. Regardless, it really is good both hot and cold.
Don’t forget to sing “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” while you cook.
Neil Sedaka’s Chicken
Adapted slightly from a late 1970s NY Post interview with Neil & Leba Sedaka
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 roaster chicken, in eighths (skin on or off, your choice)
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard (I used one with whole mustard seeds)
4 Tbsp. ketchup
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Spread half of the onion in a layer on the bottom of a roasting pan and arrange chicken skin-side up (even if you have removed the skin) on top. Add remaining onion on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with vinegar and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Mix garlic, mustard, and ketchup together and brush over chicken and onions.
Bake for an hour and a half, turning once, until chicken is cooked through. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold straight from the fridge.
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Filed under: Poultry
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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5 Comments
1. Menu Plan Monday, 5/12 - &hellip | May 11, 2008 at 7:32 pm
[...] Leftover Neil Sedaka’s Chicken, steamed broccoli, brown [...]
2.
Jodi | May 12, 2008 at 7:52 am
Ketchup and mustard chicken:O) I think it would be funny to go back through recipes from the 70′s or 80′s…bet some of them are really funny.
3. chickinthekitchen.com &ra&hellip | April 4, 2010 at 9:43 pm
[...] Neil Sedaka’s Chicken, green beans, [...]
4. chickinthekitchen.com &ra&hellip | April 8, 2010 at 6:52 pm
[...] Neil Sedaka’s (Boneless) Chicken Adapted from Neil Sedaka’s Chicken [...]
5. chickinthekitchen.com &ra&hellip | January 17, 2011 at 9:18 pm
[...] Neil Sedaka’s Chicken was incredible — we (me plus J.’s mom and grandma) were practically licking the pan clean (G. ate the drumsticks, which I cooked without sauce). I put all the onions under the chicken this time, and removed the skin before cooking so that the sauce would really flavor the chicken and not be removed before we ate. I also cooked it for about an hour and 10 minutes at 375°. Perfect. We ate every last bit of onion too. [...]
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