Sometimes it seems like all I do is try to decide what’s for supper.

As soon as we have eaten one night, I’m trying to figure out what we are going to have the next night so I can put something out to thaw.

So before leaving for work, I headed to the freezer and after staring into it for a minute or two, I finally decided we would have chicken for supper.

I put the chicken in the refrigerator, knowing it wouldn’t be thawed by the time I got home.

When I did get home, I got the still frozen chicken out of the refrigerator and placed it in cool water to thaw. This process didn’t take too long, and while I was waiting, I pulled out my “chicken” folder and started trying to find a new recipe to try.

I found several that looked and sounded good. Some of them required ingredients I didn’t have so they got put back in the folder for another day when I’d planned better. Others seemed like they would take too much effort to fix, and I really just wanted something quick on this particular night.

I’m sure you all have days when you really just want supper to be effortless, without going out to eat; this was one of those days for me.

I ended up with a recipe I had written down at some point. There was no title and I had no recollection of where I found it. I don’t know if I copied it from a magazine or some other publication, or whether someone had given it to me.

I had all of the ingredients and it sounded pretty simple to put together.

The first thing I did was cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, hoping it would save time during clean-up. Then I cleaned the chicken and cut it into strips. Next, I cubed five tablespoons of butter, placed the butter on the lined cookie sheet and put it in the pre-heated oven.

While the butter was melting, I put all of the dry ingredients into a quart-size zipper-sealed bag. This was not only easy, it also was going to make for easy clean-up.

After the butter melted, I added the chicken, one piece at a time to the flour mixture, shook to coat well and placed the pieces on the melted butter.

Like the recipe called for, I flipped each piece after 10 minutes and let it continue to cook. After a total of 20 minutes, I checked the chicken to see if it was done (by cutting a piece open). Realizing it wasn’t quite done, I let it cook for about eight more minutes.

When the chicken was done, the two side dishes I had prepared were also ready and I got everything on the table.

After a prayer, Brad and I were ready to eat. I filled my plate and the first thing I tried was the chicken. It was OK. I waited to get Brad’s reaction and it was the same as mine. He thought it was OK, but he said he likes other recipes I’ve prepared better.

I think this recipe was supposed to be one of those oven-fried chicken recipes, you know the ones — fried chicken without the frying. This one failed to deliver.

I would say I nailed this recipe, and even though it allowed me to get supper on the table quickly, it’s not one I’m going to keep.

I agree with Brad, I have others that are better.

Sarah Condley is an amateur baker and chef compiling a cookbook of her favorite recipes.